Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is officially an NFL rookie after being picked by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL draft on April 26.

Sampson was selected No. 126 overall in the fourth round.

He is the second UT running back drafted in the past two years. Jaylen Wright went to the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2024 draft.

Here’s what Sampson brings to the Browns based on his career with the Tennessee Vols.

What Dylan Sampson brings to Cleveland Browns in 2025 NFL Draft

Sampson was among the most accomplished players in college football last season. He previously had been viewed as a change-of-pace back, but he proved to be a workhorse in the 2024 season as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

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Sampson, a 5-foot-8, 200-pounder, has tremendous vision, timing and instincts to run off blocks and elude defenders. He routinely squeezes extra yards out of plays.

But he had ball security issues in 2024, and there are questions whether he has elite breakaway speed. At UT’s Pro Day, he clocked a hand-timed 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds.

Dylan Sampson highlights, strengths, weaknesses at Tennessee

Sampson had to share carries with Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small for his first two seasons at UT. But once he was RB1, he exploded to a record-breaking season.

Sampson was the bell-cow for the SEC’s top rushing offense. He broke numerous school records, took over games and earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award.

The only negative is that he had a series of fumbles during the 2024 season after going his entire career to that point without a fumble. His ball security will be scrutinized.

Dylan Sampson stats with Tennessee

Sampson led the SEC in rushing yards (1,491), touchdowns (22), points scored (132) and all-purpose yards (1,638). And he also broke the UT single-season records for rushing yards, rushing TDs and total TDs.

Sampson had 10 100-yard rushing games in 2024, the second most in a single season in UT history. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email[email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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