Jennings: Is Dylan Sampson the perfect complement to Alvin Kamara?
The New Orleans Saints need to inject some life into their backfield alongside 29-year-old Alvin Kamara, and with the 2025 NFL Draft class loaded at the running back position, this seems like the perfect time to add a game-changer to the mixâsomeone who can replicate the one-two punch thatâs worked so well for New Orleans in the past. If they can land a future starterâwhich I donât anticipate being difficult given the depth of this incoming groupâthey may even find Kamaraâs eventual successor, though AK still looks to have plenty of gas left in the tank. That said, could another Tennessee Volunteers star running back sporting the number six be heading from Knoxville to the Big Easy?
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Standing at 5â8â and 201 pounds, the 20-year-old Baton Rouge native is one of my favorite ball carriers in this class and could be looking to follow in the footsteps of current Saints RB and Vols legend Alvin Kamara. I have Sampson ranked fourth on my draft board behind Boise Stateâs Ashton Jeanty, Arizona Stateâs Cam Skattebo and North Carolinaâs Omarion Hampton, in that order.
Sampson had a breakout junior season, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-SEC honors after rushing for 1,491 yards (114.7 yards per game) and 22 touchdownsâbreaking a 95-year-old school record and tying for fourth in the FBS. He did so on 258 carries (5.8 yards per attempt) while hauling in 20 of his 25 targets for 143 receiving yards. Through 13 games, he posted a 90.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 12th among 444 running backs. His 929 yards after contact ranked 14th, and his 70 missed tackles forced tied for 11th among backs with at least 100 carries.
In 2024, the Saintsâ three runs of 20+ yards were tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the second fewest in the league. They finished ahead of only the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, who each recorded two. As a team, New Orleans totaled just 48 runs of 10+ yards last season, while Sampsonâwho ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at Tennesseeâs Pro Day on March 11ârecorded 38 such runs on his own. He could be the exact player New Orleans has been looking to pair with Alvin Kamara to mirror the famous Boom and Zoom tandem once shared with Saints legend Mark Ingramâonly this time, Kamara would likely be considered the boom.
How would you feel about the Saints snagging Dylan Sampson on Day 2? Could he be the complement to Alvin Kamara that New Orleans was hoping Kendre Miller would be by now?
