Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.

In a deep running back class, Dylan Sampson is a name who’s been gaining some momentum among draft analysts. How does he fit with the Steelers?

Position: Running back

Class: Junior

Size: 5’8, 200 pounds

Age: 20

Projected draft round: 3

Stats via Sports Reference

Sampson looks like a scat back at 5’8, 200 pounds, but his running style is a lot more complete.

For one, yeah, he’s fast and shifty. Take pro day 40 times with a grain of salt, but Sampson reportedly ran in the low 4.4s and you can see it on tape. He cuts with ease behind the line of scrimmage and has a great feel for when to accelerate and how to read his blocks. Sampson runs with great vision and prioritizes getting vertical, showing off the speed to split the second level of the defense for chunk gains (No. 6 in all clips).

He has an impressive spin move in his arsenal, as well:

But where Sampson really separates himself from the pack is his will and physicality as a runner. He plays much bigger than his listed weight and was incredibly effective in short yardage situations in 2024. The following Tweet isn’t solely a Dylan Sampson stat, but it backs up the eye test:

Ridiculous stat incoming…

Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson had 36 carries with 2 or fewer yards to go. He had 33 first downs!!! 92%. That is unbelievable.

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) March 17, 2025

Sampson’s leg drive is impressive and he churns out every yard he can. Paired with his quickness to dart through gaps, it makes him much more effective near the goal line than you’d think. At 200 pounds, a good tackle from a defensive lineman or linebacker is likely to get him down, but he has the strength and contact balance to consistently gain yards after contact.

His effort stands out as well. Sampson can improvise when the blocking breaks down:

Sampson’s size is still a bit of a limitation, but he held up well in his lone year as a starter at the SEC level, averaging nearly six yards per carry to go along with 1,491 rushing yards and a whopping 22 touchdowns. Tennessee’s run scheme isn’t something you’ll see on Sundays, but Sampson has what it takes to succeed in the NFL. However, the biggest knock on his profile is his ball security, with four fumbles and a few shaky ball handling moments in 2024. That will be something that could keep him off the field.

Another concern, albeit less so, is Sampson’s contributions in the passing game. He recorded just 143 receiving yards in 2024, largely on dump-offs and simple screens. It’s not a highly developed part of his game, but I only saw one bad drop in the games I watched, and Sampson showed some upside as a receiver out of the backfield. He’s fun to watch in space.

And in pass protection, he’s still a work in progress. Contrary to his running style, Sampson is slow to identify defenders and his physicality can waver as a blocker. He’ll need to get more consistent in that area of his game.

While he’s far from the perfect prospect, Sampson packs one of the 2025 draft class’ most complete skill sets as a runner. His processing speed, fluid athleticism, and physicality make him a scheme-versatile weapon who will be a good fit in most offenses. However, his size, ball security, and passing game skills are all concerns that could limit his situational usefulness at the next level. That being said, he’s still one of my favorite running back prospects in this year’s draft.

Strengths

Runs extremely hard; never gives up on plays and consistently effective in short yardage
Good contact balance
Patient runner but can hit holes in a hurry; excellent vision, tempo
Above-average speed, burst
Talented, effective improviser
Just 20 years old
Highly productive SEC runner in 2024: 22 touchdowns, nearly 1,500 rushing yards, 5.8 yards per carry

Weaknesses

Undersized
Wasn’t used much in the passing game in college
Inconsistent in pass protection
Fumbling issue (four in 2024)

The Draft Network

Given his explosiveness, Sampson has significant potential in the NFL as a threat in the passing game. He’s the kind of player who should be heavily involved in an offense, utilized in multiple ways across the field. At the next level, Sampson may need to adapt to different offensive schemes, especially those less reliant on light boxes and RPOs. Enhancing his pass protection skills will further solidify his potential to become a versatile, every-down back from day one. His suddenness, anticipation, and ability to gain yards after contact are all qualities that should translate seamlessly to the NFL. Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Winning Starter

Andrew Harbaugh of Vikings Wire

Dylan Sampson definitely benefited from the Josh Heupel offense at Tennessee and the wackiness it can create. That being said, he proved he could make splash plays in both the run and passing game. Sampson has fluid hips and quick feet that let him change directions quickly and decisively so that there is no wasted motion or time with the ball in his hands. Sampson, I don’t see being the lone star of a backfield but rather a rotational piece to a team. He would thrive in either goal-line or third-down work, in my opinion.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com

Compact back with good instincts and run-after-contact ability that propelled him to stardom in his lone season as a starter. Sampson separates himself from other backs in the class with an impressive feel for timing, spacing and blocking scheme. He sees lane development in real time and is disciplined to stay on the designed track, but he can flip a switch and improvise when traffic mounts. He can wiggle around tacklers or break free from their grasps. Ball security and pass protection improvement will be early priorities for his next coaching staff. Sampson plays with the instincts of a seasoned veteran and has the talent to build on what he started in 2024.

Sampson is reportedly one of the Steelers’ top-30 visits. He’ll probably go after the initial wave of the draft’s top running backs (Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, Omarion Hampton, etc.), meaning he could offer excellent value in the early middle rounds. He’d be a good scheme fit who could start or be a heavily-featured RB2, especially if he cleans up his pass protection.

However, Sampson weighs about 15 pounds less than Jaylen Warren, and is about the same size as new Pittsburgh scat back Kenneth Gainwell. That’s a small running back room, all with documented fumbling problems, even if Warren and Sampson tend to play like bigger backs. I think Sampson would be a good pick in rounds three or four for the black and gold, but his team fit comes with some questions.

TL;DR: Sampson is an undersized, scheme-versatile runner who held up in a feature role in the SEC in 2024. He’s a hard-nosed runner who still brings impressive speed, burst, agility, and vision. However, he needs to clean up a fumble problem and his work in pass protection, and will need to prove to be a reliable pass-catcher to succeed on third downs.

What are your thoughts on Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!