Raiders Draft 2025: Dylan Sampson can add serious speed to backfield

Tennessee running back is a dynamic prospect in a deep running back class

The Las Vegas Raiders did well to add legitimate speed to the running back room by signing veteran Raheem Mostert.

Despite being 33 in a few short days (on April 9), Mostert has low mileage in terms of carries over the span of his 10 year career (759; along with 111-career receptions) and appears to have plenty of juice left in the tank.

But then again, Mostert is going to be 33 years old. Thus the Silver & Black adding a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft only seems apt. It’s considered a deep class with talent available in the Top 10 all the way to the mid and late rounds.

If the Raiders want to double down on a scintillating halfback with speed, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson fits the bill — and then some. At 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds, this tailback may not scream workhorse back from size alone, but this Volunteer has the production and athleticism teams salivate for.

By The Numbers
Dylan Sampson, Running Back, Tennessee

• 2024: 13 games, 258 carries, 1,491 yards, 22 touchdowns; 20 receptions, 143 yards
• Career: 35 games, 422 carries, 2,492 yards, 35 touchdowns; 40 receptions, 342 yards, 1 touchdown

How He Fits

Beyond Mostert, the Raiders running back room looks like a lot gathered by an expansion team during the expansion draft. Zamir White, Dylan Laube, Chris Collier, Sincere McCormick, and Isaiah Spiller join the veteran as the collection of halfbacks.

While it remains a relatively young room, Mostert the oldest at 32 going on 33 and White, Laube, Collier at 25, adding more youth isn’t a bad thing.

Especially with the group very unsettled.

Plopping Sampson, who is just 20 years old and won’t turn 21 until September 14, in the middle of that fight for roster spots separates from the pretenders from contenders.

A dynamic ballcarrier who as a lethal one-cut and jump-cut and the speed to torch the defense and house the carry, Sampson brings fresh young legs with the fleet-feet similar to Mostert. Underutilized as a receiver out of the backfield, Sampson has the hands to be a safety net and dangerous weapon as a pass catcher, too.

Compared to Brian Westbrook, Sampson can be profiled as former Raider Charlie Garner and fellow Tennessee standout Travis Henry.

And here’s Sampson’s biggest fit after seeing White carry the ball for the Raiders: Patience in letting his blocks develop and not ramming himself into the backs of his blockers with wreck less abandon (more on this in the Strengths section below).

Strengths

Sampson’s vision, instincts, patience, and speed jump off when watching him carry the ball at Tennessee. His understanding of blocking scheme and feel for where the holes and run lanes develop allow him to use his explosive jump cuts to hit the crease and explode out of the opening.

Despite his compact frame at his size, he can break free from contact with his lower body strength. And his short-area quickness and quick feet result in uncanny elusiveness in traffic and when things get messy at the line of scrimmage. This helps him tremendously in short-yardage situations where he converts and falls forward for yardage and touchdowns.

Sampson plays much faster than his timed 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the Tennessee Pro Day and has been clocked at 21-23 miles per hour in college. For context, Mostert clocked in at 23 miles per hour, too, during his time with the Miami Dolphins.

As such, Sampson is an effective inside and outside runner who is equally as fleet-footed when he needs to go inside and bounce it outside.

Weaknesses

Size, or lack of it, is the biggest detriment to Sampson’s ability at the next level. Workhorse backs tend to be a bit taller and heavier and at 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds, how this Volunteer holds up to a heavy workload and pass protection is key.

The size and his developing pass protection game is a knock on Sampson. He looks uncertain when sorting out blitzing defenders. That kind of hesitation is detrimental to the quarterback as even a split second is too much time thinking. With the NFL’s complex blitz packages, Sampson will need to get up to speed quickly on pass protection or become an early-down back instead of a three-down type. A running back who never leaves the field not only can run and catch the ball, but they deflect defenders looking to put a hurt on the quarterback, too.

Ball security is another area of opportunity as Sampson coughed up the ball for times in 2024 and defenders were able to rake out the ball.

Sampson also needs to work on his receiving skill set in terms of route running and adjusting to the ball in flight. This is largely due to not being incorporated regularly as a pass-catching option at Tennessee.

That all said, while size is a concern. Heralded prospect Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) is of similar height but a rocked up 211 pounds. And McCormick is 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds and he showed the ability to carry the rock in the NFL with success.

Projection

In what’s described as a talent-laden and deep running back class in the 2025 draft, Sampson is viewed as a Day 3 selection, going as high as the third round.

His overall lack of size may be detrimental to some teams, but for a Raiders squad that needs more explosiveness and patience in the backfield, a committee/hot-hand approach is likely on the horizon in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme.

Las Vegas owns the 68th pick in the third round as well as 108th in the fourth, and 143rd in the fifth round. Unless the Raiders land a tailback in the first or second rounds, Sampson is a worthwhile look in the third and fourth stanzas. If somehow he’s available later than that, trade up if you can.