Dillon Smashes Through ‘Big-Back Box’

Rookie running back AJ Dillon has shown he's much more than a muscle-bound bruiser.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – AJ Dillon’s legs have been the viral focus of the Green Bay Packers’ rookie class during training camp. The real focus, however, should be on a much smaller part of his body.

His hands.

Dillon ran roughshod during his three seasons at Boston College, eclipsing 1,100 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in each of those seasons. With size and breakaway speed, there were no doubts entering the draft about Dillon’s ability to run the football. Where there were questions were in the receiving game. It’s not that Dillon couldn’t catch. It’s just that he hadn’t been asked to catch. Thirteen of his 21 career receptions came in 2019.

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At Thursday’s practice at Lambeau Field, Dillon made a downfield catch, took a hit from safety Will Redmond and kept right on trucking. It was his second big catch in five days of training camp.

“I never want to be put in just a big-back box,” Dillon, the team’s second-round pick, said after practice. “I feel like I can help out the team any way. So, legs, arms, hands, whatever it may be, I’m trying to be complete in all aspects of my game. Catching passes [was] something I didn’t have the opportunity to do too much at BC. [It was] not necessarily lack of talent or anything like that, it was just what we ran.”

Nonetheless, Dillon worked to polish that side of his game before and after the draft. With Athletes First as their agencies, he worked before the Scouting Combine with quarterback Jordan Love, who wound up being Green Bay’s first-round pick. From there, the key has been reps and opportunities like the one that came on Thursday.

“The coaches have done a great job getting me those reps out there, kind of putting me in situations I haven’t been exposed to, and eventually me getting comfortable there,” Dillon said. “I’m excited and I’m just jumping all in on the opportunity.”

While his receiving game has been a revelation, Dillon appears to have come as advertised as a running back.

His legs are massive, a combination of DNA and hard work. The focus on them is nothing new, Dillon said. “I think it’s funny. It’s always kind of been a thing.” At Boston College, he worked hard to turn his natural strength into, well, the strength of his game.

"I can’t take complete credit for it. Some of it’s genetics,” he said. “But once I got to college, I really started to realize how much of an impact I could have having a sturdy base like that and being able to stay up and being able to keep my legs driving through contact and things like that. I feel like back at Boston College, I made it a real point to really focus on leg strength and being able to move at my size.”

Dillon has shown he can be much more than a Ron Dayne-style battering ram. He’s flashed vision and an astounding ability for a 247-pound man to blow through a hole in an instant. Once he has a head of steam built up, good luck. He’s bigger than every linebacker on the roster and most linebackers in the NFL. He’s had a few runs that have left the defenders on the sideline oohing and aahing.

“Man, you know, as a linebacker, you want to man up and say, ‘If I see you in the hole, I’m going to hit you up top,’” linebacker Christian Kirksey, who gives away a dozen pounds to Dillon, said recently. “But when you see how big he is, you’ve almost got to go low. But then you look at his legs, and he’s got tree trunks. So, you might want to think twice with that, too. I’m excited to see what he brings to the table. He’s an extremely good guy. You see that, his personality. He’s kind of quiet, but he’s all about business. I’m eager to see how he plays and be a one-two punch with Aaron (Jones).”