After Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry led a running back renaissance during the 2024 season, teams could place a higher value on the position than they have in recent years. While the free agency class isn’t nearly as deep as it was last year, there are plenty of incoming prospects worthy of consideration.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the consensus top running back prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean the group behind him is any less valuable. Consider, for example, how Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has outperformed the consensus top prospect from his class, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.
There are currently eight running backs ranked among the consensus top 100 prospects, per NFL Mock Draft Database. Among those eight prospects is Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, who saw his stock soar after a stellar 2024 campaign in which he rushed for 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Dylan Sampson opted out of the 40-yard dash while other running backs dazzled
Sampson’s quickly rising draft stock could take a dip after he decided to not run the 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday.
"With the [running backs] performing well early on, [Volunteers running back] Dylan Sampson could be losing ground by choosing not to run today,” RotoBaller’s Brandon Murchison posted on social media. “With a class this close in perceived value, you have to take your shots at standing out.”
Sampson’s decision particularly hurts due to the performances of his peers. The running back class ran the 40-yard dash at an average time of 4.48 seconds, which is the fastest average for the position group since 2003, per the NFL Network broadcast. Last year, the average 40-yard dash time for a running back was 4.51 seconds.
Ohio State running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson both performed well during drills. Both running backs ran the 40-yard dash, with Judkins recording an unofficial time of 4.48 seconds and Henderson notching an unofficial time of 4.43 seconds. Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten paced all running backs with an unofficial time of 4.32 seconds.
Sampson earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors after his breakout campaign as a junior. The 20-year-old flashed brilliant vision as he consistently found the right gap to gain positive yardage. Despite his smaller frame, Sampson served as a bell-cow rusher and gained more than 100 rushing yards in 10 of 12 games during the regular season. He led the Tennessee to a College Football Playoff appearance, but an early hamstring injury took him out of a first-round loss against Ohio State, who went on to win the national championship.
Sampson participated in other drills at the Combine. He recorded a 35-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-4 broad jump. Some analysts, such as Mike Renner of CBS Sports, believe Sampson is the second-best running back in this year’s class.