If you’re looking for a big-bodied running back in the 2020 NFL Draft, AJ Dillon is probably your man. We’re coming off a postseason where Derrick Henry pretty much won 2 playoff games by himself. I’m not saying Dillon is the next Henry but there is at least hope he can turn into something similar. Let’s go over the AJ Dillon 2020 NFL Draft profile.
When I watch Dillon, I see a mix of Brandon Jacobs and LeGarrette Blount. Dillon is a big back and that’s probably an understatement. The Boston College back measures in at 6-foot-0, 247. Normally, that’s a fullback body. Even someone like Derrick Henry is 3 inches taller and 10 pounds lighter. That could worry some except for the fact that Dillon didn’t test anywhere close to a fullback.
Despite the size, AJ Dillon tested off the charts at the combine. 4.53 – 40 time, 23 bench reps, 41 inch vertical, and 131 inch broad. Calling Dillon just a pure power back isn’t fair. Dillon is agile and really excels on some of the outside runs. Dillon has the chance to be a real workhorse while running with power and agility.
Dillon is coming off a 1,685 yard season with 15 total touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. I wouldn’t call Boston College a great offensive line factory either who on most Saturday’s were outgunned by other ACC teams.
There is one thing I learned from Mike Tomlin. I’ll take it to the grave. He didn’t like Trent Richardson coming out of the draft. Does he bounce off of defenders or does he make defenders bounce off him? James Conner makes defenders bounce off him. Does Dillon really make defenders bounce off him? You don’t see a ton of that. He makes more people miss with cuts and spin moves rather than dragging defenders with pure power. The question is does Dillon have any Trent Richardson to him?
It’s something to worry about but I do see a lot of LeGarrette Blount here. He has a rare skillset you rarely see. The combination of size and speed is hard to find. You wish that Dillon would punish people more often but the way he’s able to make defenders miss with agility always surprises you. Defenders don’t just bring him down with arm tackles and he can drag defenders forward. It’s hard to find someone that carries that size so well. He also has an array of moves (juke, spin, hurdles, stiff arm) that get brought out frequently.
At the end of the day, you’re looking at a prospect who has a chance to be a workhorse back with deceptive agility and speed. Dillon may not be a tier-one runner in this draft, but he has a chance to be a middle round pick like Brandon Jacobs and carry an offense on his back. Dillon is one of my favorite runners in this draft and his skill set has proven hard to find.
