The Browns drafted RB Dylan Sampson with their first pick of Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft at No. 126 overall.

Here are five things to know about Cleveland's newest running back.

He exploded immediately once given a starting role

Sampson was always a steady producer at Tennessee even though he was a rotational player his first two seasons—he still scored 13 touchdowns and 1,001 yards on 164 carries (6.1 yards per carry) despite sharing backfields with other players.

In his final year in 2024, Sampson took over starting duties and dominated. He paced the SEC with 1,491 rushing yards and scored 22 touchdowns, propelling him to win SEC Offensive Player of the Year and second-team All-American honors.

He excelled at finding the end zone

Sampson set a school record by scoring at least one touchdown in 11 straight games and was excellent at finding the end zone throughout his whole college career—he scored 36 touchdowns in 35 games. His 13 career 100-yard games was tied for third-most in Tennessee history.

With Quinshon Judkins, who was drafted at 36th overall on Day 2, and Sampson, the Browns have now added two running backs who were proficient at crossing the goal line in college.

"Judkins has proven to be productive in that area, and then with Dylan it's the same thing," Browns Director of Player Personnel Dan Saganey said. "He has speed and touchdown production. We're always looking for guys who can score touchdowns at any offensive position, and both these guys have proven that against the highest level of competition."

He was one of the best backs available on Day 3

Sampson was one of the top backs that highlighted one of the deeper running back draft classes in recent memory. He was the 12th overall running back selected in the class, but he ranked as the sixth-best running back in Dane Brugler's position rankings for The Athletic.

Brugler wrote that Sampson "is equal parts fast, physical and slippery as a runner and shows promise as a pass catcher."

He has a track background

As a kid, Sampson focused on track as his main sport and consistently earned high finishes at regional and national meets. He continued running in high school at Dutchtown High School in Geismar, Louisiana, and was named the most outstanding male track athlete in his district in 2019. He was one of the state's best high school sprinters and achieved personal bests of 10.62 seconds in the 100 meters, 21.57 in the 200 and 6.90 in the 60 indoor.

He'll have a chance to compete for immediate snaps

The Browns' running back room also includes Judkins, Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr., and the arrivals of Judkins and Sampson create an interesting battle for starting duties in 2024.

The Browns sought to revamp their run game after scoring only right rushing touchdowns in 2024, which ranked 31st in the league, and they've done so by pairing Sampson and Judkins to bring more explosiveness to the room.