AJ Dillon - Scouting Report Sneak Peek

Psst.. here's a sneak peek at a Pro scouting report on AJ Dillon.

What you see below is the summary page of an extensive scouting report on Packers' second round pick, AJ Dillon. The report was prepared by a Pro scouting service that is hired by NFL teams to provide additional input on draft prospects. (the scores are out of a possible 10 points)

I got some hilarious comments yesterday because evidently, the Jordan Love report was too positive for some peoples' liking. One particularly funny comment theorized it was given to me by Packers PR to influence you fans to like the pick more. Incredible...

Anyway, here's another one for you.

Enjoy!

 

Player

School

Jersey

Year Entered

Pro Position

DILLON, Algiers Jameal William "AJ"

Boston College

#2

2017

TB-FB

Body Structure

Dillon has a thick frame with a big bubble, good calf thickness, wide chest, broad shoulders, long arms and large hands, but must be conscious of keep[ing his weight in the 230-235 pound range to maintain the quickness and acceleration he has shown the last two years since shedding close to 35 pounds from his frame.

General Report

6.40

 

Athletic Ability

7.0

For a player of his size, Dillon shows very good foot agility and balance. He takes short, pitter-patter steps to get “skinny” working through tight areas, but lacks the loose hips to change direction and come out of his breaks with an explosive up field burst. He is effective planting and driving in his route cuts and has the feel for the crease and vision to locate the cutback lane, but will take extra steps to compensate for a lack of suddenness (more of a one-cut runner). He has good timed speed and burst to win the race vs. the second level defenders, but has only faced inferior lower level competition. He moves tightly in the open thanks to marginal swivel in his hips. He is a punishing down hill back with the balance that makes it impossible for smaller defenders to bring him down in isolated situations and is best served running between tackles, where he can generate the power to move the pile, rather than act like a “dancing bear” by bouncing outside

Football Sense

5.7

Dillon needs a few reps to retain plays and whether it is due to lack of effort or inability to locate, he is a poor blocker, especially when it comes to picking up the blitz. He does show adequate ability to adjust to coverage, but is the type that will run into spots rather than try to avoid, as he appears more confident in his power to make things happen rather than try to out-think his opponent

Character

5.9

For all of his press clippings, you would expect Dillon to have a “me-first” personality, but he is humble to a fault, well-liked by the staff and teammates and team goal-oriented. That was not always the case, as he failed to apply himself in high school, twice transferring at the prep and collegiate levels.

Competitiveness

7.0

Dillon is an intense competitor who will do whatever the coaches ask if it will help the team. He takes great pride in his ability to move the chains and gain tough yardage. He will need to improve his overall vision for the next level, as he is more of a power back who will obliterate tacklers that get in his way rather than try to preserve his body by escaping from the crowd. He likes to use his size and leg drive efficiently to break tackles. He plays until the whistle and there is no quit to his game. It is very rare to see him run out of bounds with the ball, as he feels he can be more productive sinking his pads and driving with his legs to drag the opponent for extra yardage rather than taking the easy way out

 

 

 

Athletic Report

6.45

 

Initial Quickness

5.8

Dillon has good initial quickness, but is inconsistent changing direction due to hip stiffness and failure to keep his running stride down to squeeze through tight spaces. While he lacks blazing speed, he is quick to run through the holes, but needs to come out of his stance at a lower pad level to redirect and avoid contact rather than try to always power his way through the hole. He flashes good quickness on the move and hits the hole with good timing, but is not a shifty runner with a quick side-step action and does not really explode through tiny creases, thanks to his high stance and the inability to sift through trash

Acceleration/Burst

6.5

Dillon has that deceptive burst that allows him to surprise a lethargic defender with his straight-line charge, but he is more of a power back, one-cut runner than an elusive one. He does not have a good concept for changing angles, but can build up to top speed quickly when operating deep in the backfield. He is not going to run away from defenders in the open just on pure speed, but power through and keep his feet churning on initial contact to drag opponents for positive yardage. Once he locates the hole, he shows good urgency to accelerate through it quickly

Instincts/Balance

6.2

When Dillon runs like a veteran, showing patience waiting for holes to develop, he is very productive taking the ball up the gut, as he has that forward body lean to gain additional yards after contact. He needs to demonstrate a better feel for avoiding the defender, as his excellent power will get him some good success at the next level, but not as much as he’s experience vs. the inferior competition he’s faced to date. He plays with a very strong base to generate tough yardage, but his tall stance does affect his run balance. He manages to stay up on his feet well after initial contact, but like most big backs, he tends to get erect in his stance. He just needs to learn how to sink his hips and keep his pad level low. He sometimes takes a bit of time to get going on pitch-outs, needing time to scan the field, but on inside plays, he is quick to attack the crease

Inside Running

8.3

For a big back, you see the power in his game, as he is the type that can simply explode through defenders. He has the thick legs to drive through the initial tackle and a strong stiff arm to fend off the smaller defenders. He is most comfortable using his strength and body lean to take the ball up the gut, but when he tries to bounce out on the perimeter, he does not show the loose hips to adjust and elude

Outside Running

5.5

Dillon might have good timed speed, but lacks explosiveness or lateral agility to simply side-step the perimeter defenders to take the ball to the house. He just does not generate the burst needed to consistently reach and turn the corner. When he runs with good patience waiting for blocks to develop, he has better success through the cutback lanes, but is not the type that should bounce outside to get big yardage. He moves well on the option, but does not have the second gear to threaten around the corners. Because he is such an effective downhill runner, he has not had to use his lateral bounce to be effectively used running outside

Elusiveness

5.2

Dillon is just too big to win any “hide-and-seek” games, and is best served just pounding the ball between tackles rather than bounce outside and redirect for long yardage. He is not consistent in attempts to stay low in his pads, nor does he have the smooth stride moving laterally to make the initial tackler miss. He can either power through or step over defenders on the move, but you are not going to see him juke the defender or slide step to elude, as he does not have the great feet to be efficient there

Tackle-Breaking Strength

8.1

Because of his size and power, Dillon gets most of his success with his leg strength to break tackles and drive through initial contact. It is very rare to see him get turned back taking the ball up the middle, but he is really just a power-oriented one-cut runner that lacks nifty moves, but plays with good body lean. His balance is affected when he runs at a high pad level, but few big runners can get “fancy” by side-stepping defenders at the NFL level. He still has that mentality that he would much rather punish and run over the opponent than avoid and elude. With his lower body strength and build, it allows him to gain better success in attempts to run through arm tackles down field. With his body mass and strength, he is a classic pile mover working inside and has the strength to get through trash in order to attack the second level

Tendency to Fumble

6.2

Dillon has not really had too many fumble issues, mostly due to facing inferior competition, but his ball distribution skills could be a concern at the next level. He does a good job protecting the ball running up the middle, but does hold it loosely when turning the corners, as he will fail to distribute the ball away from the defender

Receiving Skills

5.7

Dillon a capable third-down receiver, as he has the natural hands and arm extension to catch away from his frame. He catches the ball cleanly and does a good job extending for the off-target throws. It is very rare to see him fight the ball in passing situations, but he only had miniscule chances to operate as a receiver out of the backfield

Route Running

5.6

Dillon is a decent route runner who shows a smooth stride coming out of his breaks. He is alert to sticks and boundaries and shows the vision to work back to the ball when the quarterback is pressured. He is much more capable as a receiver to be used on just swings and screens. He has that deceptive quickness to get open underneath and does a nice job adjusting and settling in the soft areas

Blocking Ability

5.4

Dillon is a willing cut blocker, but when working in-line, he does not use his body well to occupy the smaller defenders at the line of scrimmage. Even with his strong hands, he does not generate the forceful punch needed to lock on and sustain. He is not used much as a lead blocker, as he was inconsistent when asked to create and hold the crease for long. When he tries to face up, his punch fails to shock or stonewall the defender. He is better off trying to stand his ground on the perimeter than working in-line

 

 

 

Compares To

JAMAL LEWIS-ex-Cleveland…In his prime, Lewis was a load to bring down running up the middle of the line. Dillon shows that same raw strength to drag defenders for extra yardage running between the tackles. Power is the name of his game, but he will never develop into an efficient receiver coming out of the backfield. He lacks the loose hips to turn the corner, but you will get a quality short area runner with the brute strength to punish defenders in his path to the end zone.

           

 

 

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__________________________

"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther.  Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP

__________________________

NFL Categories: 
13 points
 

Comments (73)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Point-Packer's picture

April 27, 2020 at 03:58 pm

I don't have the problem with the pick, but I would like to hear a counter-argument to the likelihood that GB could have taken him one round later.

6 points
9
3
Lphill's picture

April 27, 2020 at 04:23 pm

Exactly point-Packer it seems the Packers took everyone too soon like panic buying during a pandemic , maybe Gute thought there would be no draft and he didn’t make out his shopping list .

-1 points
5
6
Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 27, 2020 at 04:35 pm

Point. Counter-argument: Had we taken him one round later we would have not been able to draft Josiah Deguara.

5 points
8
3
The_Justicar's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:15 pm

Counter point -point- counter point....since Deguara was estimated to be drafted in the 6th or 7th round per most sites, while we couldn’t have drafted Deguara in the 3rd we could have drafted him in the 6th.

-1 points
5
6
BrianMaafi's picture

April 28, 2020 at 12:46 am

counter-counter point. You don't know that for sure. He could have gone the next pick, he could have gone undrafted or anywhere in between. We just don't know. We as fans do not have access to front office information on all 32 teams to say one way or the other for sure.

1 points
2
1
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:13 pm

We have no idea if he could have been had an round later. We'll never know.

8 points
9
1
jannes bjornson's picture

April 27, 2020 at 09:21 pm

See your guy, pick your guy.

4 points
5
1
Tabin's picture

April 28, 2020 at 03:09 am

Gute had inside information that the Colts wanted to trade up to get him :)

-1 points
0
1
PeteK's picture

April 27, 2020 at 04:32 pm

Here's your ans: obliterates tacklers, drags opponents, explodes through, plays until the whistle, and my favorite, very rare to see him run out of bounds. We got him, who cares when. We still have Mr. outside and now we have Mr. inside.

19 points
21
2
splitpea1's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:52 pm

Let's hope we can keep Mr. Outside, but it may be tough.

1 points
1
0
PeteK's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:46 pm

Not out of reach if one of the late round linemen can develop into a starting calibre center, which saves us 8 mill in cap space. Also, can we please jettison Taylor and sign Snacks.

4 points
4
0
FITZCORE1252's picture

April 27, 2020 at 04:34 pm

Al,

How do you feel he compares to Eddie Lacy?

0 points
0
0
JerseyAl's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:40 pm

Lacy had the looser hips and more wiggle plus some breakaway ability. Dillon doesn't try to run away from tacklers, he wants to bulldoze them. He will come in pretty handy on the goal line.

8 points
9
1
PeteK's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:52 pm

Hmmm, which is better football terminology : looser hips and more wiggle or quick footed nifty move to the outside?

0 points
1
1
TarynsEyes's picture

April 27, 2020 at 10:26 pm

So he may be the guy that can get the hard yards when the defense KNOWS he's coming. There's something they haven't had in......

7 points
7
0
Bear's picture

April 27, 2020 at 11:29 pm

More like John Riggins

1 points
1
0
Alberta_Packer's picture

April 28, 2020 at 12:42 pm

Dillon is faster than Lacy - 4.53 vs. 4.57. - plus bigger (at least pre-draft). Dillon 6.0 - 247 lbs., Lacy - 5'.11'' - 231 lbs. Dillon does try to run away from tacklers but 75% of the time he ran against a stacked box - by far the highest percentage in college football. There are things that Dillon can do athletically that few RBs can try (see NFL combine). As for wiggle - Dillon is a sudden 1-2 cut runner - which is a more direct and efficient route to the goal line.

0 points
0
0
PeteK's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:45 pm

Speed is the same, Dillon possesses more explosion and power, but Lacy had that quick footed nifty move to the outside after breaking through the hole .

0 points
0
0
Bure9620's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:51 pm

Way more athletic than Lacy, he is also like 8% body fat, Lacy was
.....more....and more and more. Much more than that........

2 points
3
1
Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 27, 2020 at 04:37 pm

Al, this one wasn't quite as glowing as the one on Love. I believe it must have been planted by the Vikings PR department to further rankle the faithful.

15 points
17
2
JerseyAl's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:42 pm

A thousand thumbs up! You gave e the best laugh I've had in a month!

7 points
7
0
Coldworld's picture

April 28, 2020 at 12:39 am

And I thought the scouts just sanitized it to preserve Al’s native Jersey innocence.

2 points
2
0
LambeauPlain's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:31 pm

Could Dillion have lasted until the end of the third round? Possibly. Yet the last of the WRs that apparently were high on the Packers draft board in the 2nd were gone so Dillon was Plan B in the second.

My question is was there a highly rated ILB or DT on there board that did not make it to them in the third?

That said, I do not see Dillon as a “reach”. He will be the thunder to Jone’s lightning. The two men have very different yet highly productive running styles.

Jamaal Williams is a good back who has some speed but nothing close to the elusive, shifty, set up blockers and zip to daylight like Jones. Williams has some power, but not the freight train, move the pile version of Dillon. Eddie Lacy could move the pile too....but Dillon’s college tapes...if it translates to the NFL...Oh boy! I did see tremendous balance and vision on the tape where this reviewer was just so so on Dillon.

9 points
9
0
Bure9620's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:53 pm

No, he would be gone by the mid 3rd, 250 lbs back with those athletic traits and production.

6 points
6
0
jannes bjornson's picture

April 27, 2020 at 09:34 pm

apparently, Pettine doesn't need DTs.

-1 points
0
1
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:38 pm

If the Love report was over positive I find this one to be overly negative.

6s and 7s for athleticism for a guy with a 9.16 RAS score? He ran a 4.5 at 246. He had a 41 inch vertical and almost an 11 ft broad jump.

His outside score is pessimistic too. While he doesn't plant and turn upfield like a 210 lbs guy he has plenty of bend.

13 points
14
1
Bure9620's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:46 pm

I love this pick. This kid is every bit of Jonathan Taylor. I say that as a JT fan and Wisconsin fan. He is just 25 lbs heavier. Had he played in a media market that cared about college football he would have had way more hype. Dillon is an effing mack truck. He also displays agility and can cut in the hole. Good receiver. Freak Athlete. This is the back I have wanted in Lambeau late in the season in cold weather. Let's ground and pound!

11 points
12
1
murf7777's picture

April 27, 2020 at 08:33 pm

In watching tape on him I don’t see the agility as he has to stutter step or lean step to make cuts, he is a classic one cut bulldozer. The best comparison I see is Derrick Henry, although I think Derrick has better ability to get outside. That being said, he will be very good attacking the middle and short yard situations, which will help keep LB closer to the line of scrimmage. I’m hoping he is a good screen player. With him and Deguara we have two lean powerful men to play physical ball.

2 points
2
0
dobber's picture

April 27, 2020 at 10:56 pm

I see Mike Alstott.

1 points
1
0
BrianMaafi's picture

April 28, 2020 at 01:08 am

Can we list him as a fullback like tampa did just to get him multiple pro bowl? even though Alstott never actually played fullback

1 points
1
0
tm_inter's picture

April 28, 2020 at 10:25 am

Can't wait to see Dillon run!

0 points
0
0
splitpea1's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:48 pm

He's going to be useful in certain situations, like third-and-short and slamming it over the goal line, which we haven't been too good at recently. Very little receiving experience in college, but if he's capable of being a good screen receiver, that would be helpful, too.

5 points
5
0
Bure9620's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:55 pm

He will also be used on earlier downs to get to 3rd and short
Sitting in 3 and 10 killed this offense on several drives

4 points
4
0
splitpea1's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:15 pm

Not several drives, but many drives. I remember no gain/minimal gain was a real problem on second down last season.

2 points
2
0
jannes bjornson's picture

April 27, 2020 at 09:42 pm

Now, we are all starting to understand. Power back in tandem with Jones. Pass Pro, off tackle attacker, he can catch in the flats. He can get to the outside zone too.

1 points
2
1
Leatherhead's picture

April 28, 2020 at 07:42 am

Bure......footballoutsiders.com has a metric called power runs. These are runs on third and fourth down where we need 1or2 yards.

We were bad, about 28th in the league, despite having an offensive line that ranked #5 in run blocking. So I wanted.a pile pusher, and Dillon was the best pile pusher in this draft. This helps us keep our offense on the field to score points. It also keeps our defense off the field so the other teams can’t score points.

One player that helps our offense and our defense. And we’re complaining that #62 was too high???

2 points
2
0
Bure9620's picture

April 28, 2020 at 09:01 am

I was not complaining at all, I love this pick. Dillon would have been gone by the middle of the 3rd round. Yes we were very bad on short yardage and have been for years. Thanks, I will research this metric.

0 points
0
0
Ruppert's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:50 pm

My own contacts in the Packers PR department refused to address claims that they distributed info directly to Jersey Al, but he has been "on their radar" for years!

7 points
7
0
JerseyAl's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:43 pm

Shhhhhhhhhh...

2 points
2
0
4zone's picture

April 27, 2020 at 05:50 pm

Sounds like a one trick pony. But hey, if that one trick is three tough yards on third and short, all the better.

3 points
3
0
Coldworld's picture

April 28, 2020 at 12:42 am

If he can wear down defenses that will be something to love on its own.

0 points
0
0
TimBackes's picture

April 27, 2020 at 06:41 pm

I'm really looking forward to what Dillon can do for this offense. Pounding the rock with him will open up more opportunities for the Packers to use Aaron Jones in the passing game.

I do question the value at a second round pick, but that will ultimately be meaningless if he can be a big contributor. The more I learn about this guy the more I like him. In a rather confusing first three rounds, this is the pick that makes the most sense.

5 points
5
0
Hornungfan's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:19 pm

The Packers attraction to Jordon Love had a cascading adverse effect in this draft (I'm not saying this means they shouldn't have taken Love, I'm just saying that's the way it it turned out meaning by the time of their turn in the 2nd round there was not anyone else available that was more attractive than Dillon, all the sufficiently appealing WR's and other players were gone, etc.). As a result, the 2nd round was the time to take Dillon if they valued him.

I must say, the idea of watching Dillon run into the second level of a fatigued defense in the 4th quarter with a screen pass, pass in the flat or quick hitter up the middle does make my heart flutter! I remember Lou Holtz at Notre Dame doing this with Jerome Bettis. It was a beautiful thing, like hot knife through butter!

5 points
7
2
Fish_on's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:29 pm

I'm not sure how he is going to get to "keeping his weight in the 230-235 pound range." Supposedly he has 7% body fat according to a few articles including one in SI. How would he lose weight without losing muscle? He weighed 247 lbs at the combine and looked ripped. His thighs are like tree trunks. I wonder how much he can squat. Go watch the combine video to see how strong he looks. I'm also not sure what you meant by a "big bubble."

5 points
5
0
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 27, 2020 at 09:48 pm

Big Bubble == Big Gutes and Thighs

0 points
0
0
Oppy's picture

April 27, 2020 at 10:10 pm

They're not talking about the young man needed to stay in the training room to keep his weight up... They are insinuating that he needs to stay out of the lunch line and keep his weight down.

They're saying he's a big guy. If he gets complacent, they're worried he could put on too many pounds and lose his game speed.

1 points
1
0
Since'61's picture

April 28, 2020 at 09:24 am

Similar to what happened with Lacy. Stay well. Thanks, Since ‘61

0 points
0
0
dobber's picture

April 28, 2020 at 09:35 am

Lacy's commitment was questioned when he came out, too: how important was football to him? Apparently, not as important as it needed to be.

1 points
1
0
JerseyAl's picture

April 28, 2020 at 09:42 am

Very true. From what I've seen, Dillon Iis the polar opposite of Lacy in that area.

1 points
1
0
fish's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:35 pm

If it were me drafting, I would have gone with either Love, Mims, or Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the 1st. Then Baun in the 2nd. If Dillon ranked really high on the board and was still around in the 3rd, that is when I would have taken him and the tight end in the 4th. The trade up for Love cost a 2nd round pick (not a 4th) because it moved everybody on the "list" up a round. If Indy was really looking to move up for Love, I would have dropped back and gained another pick. Let Indy have Love -- not in the NFC if he turns out to be a stud.

If we moved back, Love and Edwards-Helaire would have been gone and that is when I'd take Mims. That extra pick from Indy would have been a 4th or 5th rounder probably and could have been used on a big DL.

-8 points
0
8
stockholder's picture

April 27, 2020 at 11:15 pm

And if I was drafting Queen off board So-/Higgins, Jones, and Harrison would have been the picks. And Colin Johnson in the 4th, not 5th. with peoples Jones -No Trades

0 points
0
0
Alberta_Packer's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:41 pm

His game play does not align with the scouting report. He is a much better player than is presented in the report. Plus a 7.0 athletic rating - for a player of his size, weight and speed - is unfair. I'm thinking that my old High School English teacher graded this report.

12 points
13
1
stockholder's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:47 pm

I have a problem with the pick, Not the player. We pass on Logan Wilson, and take a ILB in the 5th. We pass on Terrel Lewis Olb and take edge/OLB in the 7th. WE passed on 50% pre draft Talk; OT in Jones for RT.( And the packers were rumored in contact with the last two. ) So now we have a Animal at RB. Role players aren't Steals. He needs to start. The sooner the better for him to succeed.

-5 points
2
7
jannes bjornson's picture

April 27, 2020 at 09:56 pm

Jones may end up at guard. Martin looks to cover better than Wilson in space. Seemed to be his role for Gopher; Barber took the inside stuff.

1 points
1
0
stockholder's picture

April 27, 2020 at 10:49 pm

Wrong

-4 points
0
4
Hornungfan's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:47 pm

While I was (am) very troubled by this draft, drafting an elite QB is not like purchasing underwear on amazon online. What I mean is that I would think in perfect world, I would prefer to draft the elite QB successor to Rodgers in the 2022 draft. The problem is that may not be possible for various reasons once you get to April 2022. Then you face the reality when it's too late that you let a franchise elite QB slip through your fingers. Remember, some teams have gone decades (is it over 70 years for the Bears) without an elite QB. Taking a risk to get an elite QB is necessary if a reasonable risk.

13 points
14
1
murf7777's picture

April 27, 2020 at 08:39 pm

I’ve been saying that all along, strike when the firs hot, you may not get another chance without giving up loads of draft picks moving up to the top 5 of a coming draft. And of course that is no guarantee that QB would be successful either.

1 points
2
1
Dzehren's picture

April 27, 2020 at 07:54 pm

Dillon is going to tough to bring down in December and January. A.J. better be able to pick up the blitz, if he can, Dillon will see significant snaps this year.

6 points
7
1
Roadrunner23's picture

April 27, 2020 at 08:21 pm

This pick (although a round early) and the H-back (a round early in the next) shows just how serious MLF wants this offense to be a physical downhill running attack. With an aging Rodgers and Green Bay weather it is understandable.

10 points
11
1
Mojo's picture

April 27, 2020 at 11:33 pm

Did anyone actually read the report?

Yes, he'll pound between the tackles and give you all he's got. He'll test a defenders courage. But much of the rest of it is quite negative - little wiggle,"is inconsistent changing direction due to hip stiffness and failure to keep his running stride down to squeeze through tight spaces"," difficulty in retaining plays,"poor blocker" , not elusive lacks explosiveness or lateral agility, can't run outside and most damning of all in today's NFL -" he will never develop into an efficient receiver coming out of the backfield. He lacks the loose hips to turn the corner".

Sounds like we drafted an quick o-lineman who can't block.

-3 points
1
4
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 28, 2020 at 07:35 am

I recommend to watch his tape.

1 points
1
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 28, 2020 at 08:37 am

Jeremy,
You and a few others have been spot on about Dillon. His tape is impressive!

This guy should there be a 2020 season will have a bigger impact on the Packers success than any WR would (though Jefferson would have been nice). Possibly more than any other player would. Only time will tell but I like what he brings. For those who keep posting and implying Dillon is a goal line RB, or a short yardage back in 3rd and 1 situations have not watched his tape. He is all of that but much more. Dillon will free Jones, Adam's, and Rodgers up and allow themm to be more effective, and therefore the offense will be more effective. Defenses are going to have to adjust. Cant wait to see Dillon break free up the middle or sidelines with only a safety or DB to try taking Dillon down. At 4.5 speed Dillon will terrorize them as he runs over and around them.

1 points
1
0
Since'61's picture

April 28, 2020 at 09:55 am

His tape against college players, not NFL pros. My concerns with him are that he needs to build up speed to be effective. This means he needs to start deep in the backfield probably from an I- formation. The OL needs to hold their blocks because if the DL gets penetration it sounds like he can’t move laterally to avoid it.

As with Love, I’m also concerned with the level of competition that he faced in college. Notre Dame held him to 56 yards when he played against them. Playing against teams in a not very strong college conference is a big difference than playing against professional NFL defenses.

If he gets to LOS with a head of steam he is probably OK. But if the hole is clogged with big bodies it doesn’t sound like he can run to daylight and pick up yards.

I give him and all our picks the benefit of the doubt because that is only fair and you never know until I see them play but realize the NFL has plenty of smart people on every team. They will adjust accordingly when they see Dillon in the game. His college tape may look good but it means nothing now.
Thanks, Since ‘61

-1 points
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ShawnO's picture

April 28, 2020 at 09:51 am

Let's put it this way, Boston Colleges offence is mainly their run game. All of their opponents knew they were going to run the ball majority of the time....ok? So knowing that, AJ Dillon had 2 less caries than Jonathan Taylor and about 300 less yards with 14 touch downs. In this draft class only two running backs had more yards, Dobbins and Taylor. I would have rather had Taylor but, lets see a quick o-lineman do that.

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NoNonsense's picture

April 28, 2020 at 12:31 am

Well Jamal Lewis was drafted 5th overall so for Gute to get Dillon at 62 seems like a good value. Not saying hes as good as Lewis was, just giving perspective.

As far as I can tell Dillion was considered a high 3rd round value and the 7th rated RB behind:
1.Swift-35
2.Taylor-41
3.Edwards-Helaire-32
4.Dobbins-55
5.Akers-52
6.Moss-86
7.Dillon-62

Moss had injury issues so that probably pushed him down the list a bit and made it easier to take Dillon instead. So many different rankings out there but these were the best rankings I could come up with.

I dont have a problem with them taking him at 62 if no one wanted to trade up to that pick, I just would have picked a different guy. Hoping Dillon might still be there at 94 or within reach.

Antonio Gibson was the guy I wanted, he was listed as a WR in the draft but I would have taken him at 62 instead of Dillon, as a RB. He went to Washington with the 2nd pick in the 3rd round.

I truly like Dillon but I am just enamored with the raw speed and tackle breaking ability of Gibson. At 220 lbs hes a load to tackle running a 4.39 40. He only had a very small sample size with about 120 touches compared to Dillon who had over 800 in college. So less wear and tear but maybe more of a projection than Dillon I guess.

Gibson is the guy I will track to compare Dillons career with but others may compare him to Moss who was rated higher than him by some but drafted 24 picks after Dillon.

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Stewpedaso's picture

April 28, 2020 at 05:36 am

Good Thing we picked him up! That’s one less back to run over 100 yards on our defense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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joejetson's picture

April 28, 2020 at 08:57 am

If you watch the youtube videos on Dillon, you don't see the criticisms described in this report. My eyes see a big and elusive power back with 4.5 speed. I normally don't like using early picks on rb's, but it was fun watching this guy brutalize would-be tacklers and fight for extra chunks of yardage. Watch his video and judge for yourself.

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dobber's picture

April 28, 2020 at 12:39 pm

Just like Taylor at WI...everyone knows where the ball is going in that BC offense.

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PatrickGB's picture

April 28, 2020 at 11:03 am

Al, I like your analysis on Love and I did not think you were too effusive in his praise. Perhaps you were less so on Dillon. But the game is not played on paper (or the interweb) so, good for you and thanks for your work on articles and this site.

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JerseyAl's picture

April 28, 2020 at 02:47 pm

These are not my analyses - they are from a Professional Scouting Organization that some teams use to supplement their own draft research.

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DraftHobbyist's picture

April 28, 2020 at 02:42 pm

I love Dillon. People ask why we didn't wait and get him later. That's because he was worth the pick where we took him due to his athleticism and there was no alternative if we missed out. The other RBs were smaller guys that would've been more comparable to Aaron Jones or Jamaal Williams, but we needed a compliment RB. Dillon can carry a load if we need him to, he can kill the clock late in games and he can be an effective short-yardage back. Eddie Lacy went #61 Overall compared to AJ Dillon's #62 Overall, and Dillon is a full tenth faster than Lacy with Lacy's time being a Pro Day and Dillon's time being Combine numbers, so that's really like two tenths faster, all while Dillon is pushing 250 and Lacy was only 230 lbs. Dillon's 3-cone was about .15 faster, 10-split was a tenth faster, vertical jump was nearly 8" higher, and Lacy had all these medical issues coming out that Dillon doesn't have. If you want to use Derrick Henry as the comp, take just about every testing number and improve because Dillon is more athletic while they are the same weight and Dillon is actually a little shorter (which is a good thing). This narrative that we could've gotten Dillon later is based solely on Draftniks and Media personalities misjudging Dillon in their rankings. Dillon was well worth where we took him.

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hobowilly's picture

May 01, 2020 at 02:29 pm

For Jersey Al and others!
I'm not complaining just offering a commentary over the draft guide. I wrote earlier on the Olinemen section, wherein i noted Runyan wasn't given his due in the guide being a 2 time Big Ten 1st team selection and a 2 time Wolverine lineman of the year recipient. So, in the interior line the draft guide graded Ruiz & Bredeson, but there was no mention of Runyan. He played LT in his senior year, correct? So, he wasn't even mentioned in the OT draft guide either. What happened? Did Runyan declare late, beyond the draft guide deadline?! Don't get me wrong, i did enjoy using the guide as my prime reference!

Now, it appears Mr. Dillon who was listed as the #13 RB in the guide didn't get too much love, wherein Mr. Riese had a second BC runner listed as #5 as a fullback/HB. Humm. When Dahikel mentioned Dillon #13, he didn't have a paragraph how he'd fit into the Packer scheme. In short, i think you guys missed on this one. Let's hope Gutey didn't.

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JerseyAl's picture

May 01, 2020 at 03:33 pm

Runyan: He was, in fact, listed in the Interior OL section in the guide, as he is projected as a guard in the NFL. He would therefore not be found in the OT section. I believe he was #17 in the IOL rankings, which also includes centers in our guide. For comparison, NFL.com had him as the #12 guard, so that actually almost the same ranking, taking out the centers from our guide.

Dillon: Despite his proportions, he is not a FB, so he wasn't listed there. As you mention, he was #13 in the RB section, which is the analysts' opinion. Scouts and teams can have far different evaluations of players so that's not so unusual. For comparison, NFL.com had his as RB #8, TheDraftNetwork.com had him as #12. Also, there was no "fit with the Packers because as you'll see across all position groups, only the first 12 players have that. So Dillon just missed. Of course, we both hope he outplays his ranking in the guide!

- Al

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