The New England Patriots are in the market for offensive help, and one of the areas of need is at running back. At the Pro Day for the Tennessee Volunteers, the Patriots met with one of the top running backs in the draft class.
According to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, the Patriots met with Tennessee star running back Dylan Sampson. At his Pro Day, Sampson ran an impressive 4.42 to 4.47 40-yard dash. Some scouts in attendance had Sampson even faster, however, the times aren't official.
Pauline reports that the Patriots, along with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, met with Sampson, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have a top-30 visit scheduled.
Sampson is one of the youngest prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, at just 20 years old. He's 5'11'', 201 pounds, and is one of the highest-ranked running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft.
His 2024 season in Tennessee was impressive. Sampson had 1,488 rushing yards on 258 attempts to go with 22 rushing touchdowns and four fumbles. While the fumbles are of concern, the rest of his body of work is very appealing to NFL teams.
In his college career, Sampson has 423 rushing attempts for 2,481 yards and 35 touchdowns. It's a smaller sample size, but his 2024 play is encouraging enough to spend a day two pick on.
Sampson is likely to be a day-two pick, in rounds two or three. With the Patriots having three selections on day two of the NFL Draft, Sampson could be a selection for New England.
The Patriots met with Sampson at his pro day and could be in line to take him on day two of the NFL Draft. The 2025 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 24th, and ends on Saturday, April 26th.
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This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 9:00 AM.