The 2025 NFL Draft is now just a month away and there are countless interesting prospects that could be future Kansas City Chiefs. One of the deeper positional groups in this draft class is at running back and with all of KC's current options at the position set to be free agents after this season, they would be wise to take advantage of this talented class of backs.
So far I have profiled Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, Kaleb Johnson, DJ Giddens, and Cam Skattebo. If you're interested in any of those backs and haven't read their profiles yet, I encourage you to do so. Next up in my series of running back profiles is Tennessee's Dylan Sampson.
Sampson inherited the starting running back role for the Vols after Jaylen Wright moved on to the NFL and had a massive breakout season in 2024. He rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first and only season as the starter. So will that success from last season translate to the NFL?
Dylan Sampson - 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Age: 20 (when drafted)
Height: 5-8
Weight: 200
Dylan Sampson's Running Style/Tennessee's Offensive Scheme
When evaluating Dylan Sampson's strengths and weaknesses as a runner, understanding his rushing style and the offense that Tennessee runs is central to the discussion. In simple terms, Tennessee runs a spread offense that really stretches an offense out from sideline to sideline. Sampson saw a vast majority of his touches out of a shotgun formation and frequently saw light boxes.
Tennessee ran a huge amount of inside zone with Sampson. That's worth noting because it's the most common type of run play that the Chiefs have used during the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes era.
Within this offense, Sampson utilized his ability to survey the field from the backfield and find the open lanes in front of him. He is almost always moving forward, but he varies his speed to hit the openings at the right time.
Dylan Sampson's Weaknesses
Sampson does have a few weaknesses that will likely keep him from being one of the top five backs off the board. First off, he's a little undersized for an every-down back. Players like Bucky Irving and Kyren Williams may be changing that stereotype, but it is worth mentioning.
Second, typically backs Sampson's size are used more on passing downs, but that isn't where Sampson excelled in college. While he had a few nice screen plays, his experience as a pass catcher is limited and his pass blocking leaves a lot to be desired.
There is potential to develop here, but early in his career Sampson will have to earn his keep on early downs, which brings us back to the size/fit question for that kind of role.
Finally, there are at least some ball security questions with him having four lost fumbles last season.
Dylan Sampson's Strengths
At this point, you might be thinking that you're out on drafting a 5-8 and 200-pound between-the-tackles running back that will likely have limited impact on passing downs early in his career, but Sampson definitely has positives as well.
Sampson has very few plays where he is taken down for a loss (or even no gain) because he has excellent vision and pacing and is always moving forward toward whatever open space is available.
Sampson also uses his short stature to his advantage, almost hiding behind his offensive linemen and then slipping off one of their hips into an open gap before the defense can find him. He also has good enough contact balance that defenders who can't square him up deflect off of him. He may not have super explosive change of direction skills, but his sidestep and spin move are highly effective, allowing him to sift through traffic inside the box and find positive yards.
If you need a stat to prove how well Sampson gains positive yards in almost any situation, here's one for you. Sampson had 36 carries last season with 2 or less yards to go and converted on 33 of them. I don't care what kind of offense Tennessee runs, that is a ridiculous conversion rate.
Sampson was timed at 4.42 in the 40 at his pro day and that speed shows up on tape. Sampson has great burst when he has the space to accelerate straight ahead and can make defenses pay when he gets an opening. He is also only 20 years old, so he has potential to develop further and doesn't have as much wear and tear on his body as several of the backs in this draft.
Skattebo and Giddens may be better prospects than Sampson, but he could be a really nice fit in KC if they wait until the late third round or later to draft a running back, and those guys are already off the board. Sampson may have benefited from his college offense, but he could also use the same skills he used at Tennessee to take advantage of defenses that are focused on stopping Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs passing game.
The Chiefs call more inside zone run plays out of shotgun than I would prefer, but if that's the case Sampson has proven more than any other back in this class that he's good at doing that exact thing. Isiah Pacheco is a solid back, but he frequently misses the spots to attack a defense on the same types of plays that Sampson found positive gains in college.
I would prefer someone with more proven pass-catching or pass-blocking prowess, but by the time you get to the end of the third round most of the backs are going to have some weak spots to their game.