Dylan Sampson declares for 2025 NFL Draft

Sampson forgone his senior year at Tennessee and declared for the 2025 NFL draft. 

It was a long process for the young running back, and he made his decision final on Friday in an emotional Instagram post. As far as UT sports history goes, it is a sad day as one of the top running backs and top NFL prospects is saying goodbye to the team. It was not an easy decision for Sampson, as he left a deep mark on the fans and the organization in Tennessee. 

He first mentions fans in his address, stating that their support was nothing short of amazing. As for the city of Knoxville, where he spent the last few years of his life, Sampson states that it is where he felt at home, which has helped him become a better man. Dylan also didn't fail to mention how much Vol Nation, Vol Walk, and Pride of the Southland's Rocky Top song meant to him. With one eye on the future, Sampson can't neglect the program and the community that has meant so much to him in the last few years. 

Yet, the decision to join the 2025 NFL Draft for one of the college's premium running backs wasn't a surprise for anyone. His time at the collegiate level was up, and all the signs pointing that the quality of the NFL is there were more than evident.  His draft stocks are not as high as they should be as Sampson is the current holder of the 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, yet people doubt his projections. He is still being undervalued by NFL Draft evaluators. 

The fans of Formula 1 racing and Formula 1 betting will understand the metaphor in which we'll state that while Dylan Sampson is no Max Verstappen, his qualities put him somewhere between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz which means he’s more than worth the gamble and investment of draft capital. In football terms, he is as good of a prospect as Alvin Kamara was back in the 2017 NFL Draft for the New Orleans Saints, and we all know just how valuable Kamara is for the Saints' offense. Since the moment Drew Brees retired and Michael Thomas dropped off, the Saints' offense revolved around Kamara. Sampson can be that player for most NFL franchises at this point. 

Despite his undeniable talent, experts such as ESPN's Mel Kiper rank him relatively low. Kiper has Sampson as the 10th-best RB of the 2025 class. For Kiper, the nine better backs include the likes of Ashton Jeanty, Boise State; Omarion Hampton, North Carolina; Kaleb Johnson, Iowa; Nicholas Singleton, Penn State; Jonah Coleman, Washington; TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State; RJ Harvey, UCF; Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State; Jordan James, Oregon. If you trust Kiper, Samson won't be drafted before one of the mid-to-late rounds. 

What's even worse, outlets such as CBS Sports do not see him as a top-10 running back in this class. If you ask me, these notions are all slander, as Dylan is going to be a steal of the draft for one team in the early fourth or even third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It is easy to rank Sampson even higher, as he has proven himself repeatedly during his last year at Tennessee. 

His career with the Vols was outstanding from the get-go, but during his career year, he set a few school records. For one, he led the entire Sec in rushing yards with 1.491. This much yardage resulted in 22 touchdowns. Dylan Sampson scored 132 points, and all of it was spiced with 1.638 all-purpose yards during 2024. 

The school record of 1.464 yards was set by Travis Stephens way back in 2001. Taking down a two-decade-old record is not easy, regardless of the university where you're playing at UT. It is no joke at the collegiate level. While he was at it, Dylan didn't stop at the yardage record, taking down the records for total TDs and rushing TDs. Both were set by the legendary college RB Gene McEver in 1929. Do you still think that Sampson is not a 3rd round material? We bet you don't. 

Sampson's collegiate career at UT was rounded up at 35 rushing TDs, a number bettered only by McEver, who had 37 and is tied for 2nd place with James Stewart in the history of UT. As far as his entire UT career goes, he had a total of 2.492 yards to his name, 35 touchdowns, 13 -  100 rushing games, and 11 consecutive games with a  rushing TD. These are all high numbers, and it is doubtful that NFL scouts think differently than NFL TV analysts and Mock Draft experts. 

Only in 2024, he collected all of the following accolades: SEC Offensive Player of the Year (AP, Coaches); SEC Player of the Year (USA Today); All-America Second Team (The Athletic, FWAA, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Walter Camp); All-America Third Team (AP); Maxwell Award Semifinalist; Doak Walker Award Semifinalist; All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches); SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Alabama, 10/21).

The decision for Dylan Sampson to declare his eligibility for the 2025 NFL Draft was the right one. The league has devalued the running back position at the moment. Still, the trend is slowly shifting, thanks to the likes of King Henry and Saquon Barkley. Yet, young RBS needs to declare for the NFL Draft as soon as eligible to ensure enough years for that second contract. So, while Mel Kiper doesn't value Sampson, I do, and in my eyes, he's closer to Alvin Kamara and Najee Harris than he is to the 5th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It's only that he didn't play for Alabama. If he did, we'd discuss a highly touted RB prospect. Dylan is a dark horse for a high draft pick, nonetheless, at least in my eyes.