Thornton Jr., Sampson Drafted In Fourth Round; Four Total Vols Selected
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Two standout playmakers from the 2024 Tennessee offense were selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft Saturday, giving the Volunteers a three-day total of four.
Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. was chosen No. 108 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, while running back Dylan Sampson went No. 126 overall to the Cleveland Browns.
For the second time in three years, Tennessee produced at least four NFL Draft picks through the first four rounds. Defensive lineman James Pearce (first round, No. 26) and Omarr Norman-Lott (second round, No. 63) were selected Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Thornton played two seasons for the Vols after transferring from Oregon. He shined last fall, leading the nation in yards per catch at 25.4. He caught 26 passes and led the squad with 661 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Sampson, the 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, produced the most prolific rushing season in UT history, setting school records for rushing yards (1,491) and rushing touchdowns (22). The 22 rushing scores were the most by an SEC player since Alabama’s Najee Harris had an FBS-best 26 in 2020. It represented the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in SEC single-season history.
Sampson is the second straight Tennessee running back to be drafted. Former teammate Jaylen Wright went No. 120 overall in last year’s fourth round. The Vols were one of only two programs nationally (USC) to produce a running back in the first rounds in each of the last two drafts. Undrafted Vols now have the opportunity to sign free agent contracts.
Tennessee 2025 NFL Draft Picks
Round (Pick), Name, Position, Team
1 (26), James Pearce Jr., DE/EDGE, Atlanta Falcons
2 (63), Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Kansas City Chiefs
4 (108), Dont’e Thornton Jr., WR, Las Vegas Raiders
4 (126), Dylan Sampson, RB, Cleveland Browns
Tennessee 2025 NFL Draft Notes
- Tennessee has produced multiple offensive picks in five straight drafts and all four drafts under Josh Heupel. Ten offensive players have been selected under Heupel.
- A total of 17 players in the Josh Heupel era have been drafted (since 2022 NFL Draft). It’s the highest four-year span of draft picks for the Vols since 17 went from 2005-08.
- With the four total draft selections, Tennessee has had 391 all-time draft picks, which dates back to 1936. That mark includes the AFL Draft, which merged in 1967.
- Tennessee had back-to-back drafts with a running back selected and was one of six schools nationally to achieve the feat in 2024-25. The Volunteers joined USC as the only schools to produce a running back in the first four rounds in each of the last two drafts.
- Six Tennessee wide receivers have been drafted in the last six drafts combined. The Volunteers have produced four drafted wide receivers in the Josh Heupel era – Thornton Jr., Velus Jones Jr., Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt.
- It was the second time in three years that Tennessee generated four or more draft picks through the first four rounds. It’s the first time since 2002-03 that the Vols have achieved that feat twice over a three-year span.
- Dylan Sampson will unite with VFL Cedric Tillman in Cleveland. Tillman was the last Tennessee players selected by the Browns with the No. 74 overall pick in the third round in 2023. Sampson is the first UT running back chosen by the Browns since Montario Hardesty (second round) in 2010.
- With Norman-Lott and Thornton Jr. being selected, they are the sixth and seventh Tennessee players drafted who were FBS transfers, joining Velus Jones Jr., Cade Mays, Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton III and Kamal Hadden.
- Tennessee was one of five programs nationally in this draft with multiple defensive linemen chosen through the first two rounds, joining Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
- The Volunteers produced four draft picks through the first four rounds, which tied for ninth nationally.
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