Does your favorite NFL team want a running back who can run over, through, or around any defender? If so, Boston College battering ram AJ Dillon is the man for the job.
A bruising back with impressive speed and athleticism for his frame, Dillon recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his versatile skill set, his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, and what kind of player he’ll be at the next level.
JM: How do you describe your running style?
AJD: I would say that I’m a bigger back that can do it all. I consider myself to be a three-down running back. I have the size, power and ability to wear down a defense. At the same time, I can run away from people in the open field. I can catch the ball coming out of the backfield. I’m an asset in pass protection as well. I can do it all.
JM: If you had to compare yourself to one NFL running back, who would it be and why?
AJD: That’s a tough question. I would probably say Leonard Fournette. That’s a guy who always shows up and handles his business. He’s a dependable guy. He runs with an aggressive mindset. He does a good job catching the ball. He does everything that’s asked of him at a high level.
JM: Who are some running backs that you enjoyed watching growing up?
AJD: Leonard Fournette is one of those guys for me. I would also add Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell. Those are my favorite running backs to watch.
JM: The COVID-19 outbreak has made this a unique draft process. How are you navigating these circumstances?
AJD: It’s obviously been a different process for us. It’s been different than what I was told it was going to be like (laughs). As you said, I don’t have another draft process to compare it with. This is all I know. This is my draft story. I was lucky enough to get invited to the combine. I performed well out there. I’m happy with what I did in Indianapolis. I had a great opportunity to meet with some coaches and teams out there. I gave them a chance to put a face to the name. Now, I’m going through the process of talking to some teams on the phone rather than in person. We’re just going with the flow. We’re all adapting to the situation.
JM: Speaking of the combine, you had a strong performance. You ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at 247 pounds. Your 41-inch vertical also jumps out. What was the overall experience like out there?
AJD: The experience was pretty cool. I obviously have aspirations to play in the NFL. You think you know all about the draft and it’s easy to think that you just show up to the combine and run a few drills. It’s definitely not like that (laughs). It’s really about four or five days long and each day is a process. It can be tiring but it really just depends on your mindset. I feel like I had a positive outlook out there. I just tried to be a sponge and make as many connections as possible. All in all, it was a really great experience for me. I really enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to receive an invite.
JM: Do you feel like your testing numbers turned some heads?
AJD: I knew what I was gonna do. There was a tweet that I put out a few years ago where I predicted what I would do and the results were very similar. I said I was gonna jump a 41-inch vertical two years ago. I’m confident in myself and in my abilities. I feel like people sometimes look at my weight and say this guy is 250 pounds, he must be a slow, goal line back that can only grind out three yards at a time. That’s really not my game at all. I have the ability do to that, and so much more. I feel like the combine really reflected the type of athlete that I truly am. I had 7.8% body fat at 247 pounds. I’m a big back that can do a lot more than just the big back things. I’m so much more than just a big back. I definitely think I surprised a lot of people out there.
30 reps of 225 lbs
4.47 in the 40
41” vert
At 245 lbs
•Save this tweet•— AJ “The Sauce” Dillon (@ajdillon7) March 4, 2018
JM: Were you able to get in any meetings or private visits before the COVID-19 outbreak?
AJD: It’s all been phone calls and FaceTime for me. Everything I had scheduled was for after my pro day, which was supposed to be on March 18th. Of course, the pro day was canceled, and we’ve been adapting ever since. I can’t disclose which teams I’ve been in contact with, but I’ve been speaking with a fair amount of teams in one capacity or another. I’m just enjoying the process. I’m getting to know these coaches and I’m allowing them to get to know me. We’re just talking ball and having fun. There’s a few teams that I’ve been in constant contact with. It’s been fun.
JM: What do you prefer, a 75-yard touchdown, or touching the ball six or more times on a long, punishing drive?
AJD: I’d probably have to go with the 75-yard touchdown. There’s nothing like running away from everybody at full speed in the open field. That’s a great feeling. Let’s go celebrate in the end zone together.
JM: How did playing in that Boston College offense get you ready for what’s next?
AJD: If you followed me specific to my career, I probably ran against more stacked boxes than anybody in college football. It feels like I ran into a stacked box every single time I got the ball. I actually think the numbers landed around 75 percent this past year. I had 300-something carries and ran into a stacked box 252 times or something like that.
For me, my ability to deal with that and have the success that I had, my coaches taught me how to handle that type of workload. I had games where I carried the ball 38 times.
I’ve done a great job taking care of my body as well. I had one injury at Boston College, and it was a high ankle sprain that caused me to miss two games. That was it. Everybody worries about mileage but I came out as healthy as can be.
I’ve proven that I could handle the most adverse situations. We dealt with an injury to our starting quarterback in two different years. We lost him midway through the season and the offense was definitely on my shoulders. That’s where the stacked boxes came into play. The defense knew I was gonna get the ball and I was still picking up at least five or six yards. I feel like people don’t pay enough attention to that.
They just look at the yards per carry and say that I was getting the ball a lot. They don’t really look at the situation we were in as an offense. They try to discredit me. If you put the tape on, you’d see I was breaking two tackles in the backfield, spin off another guy at the line of scrimmage and carry the last defender with me for an extra three, four yards. There’s a lot that goes into it. That’s why I’m so excited for the next step. I can’t wait to show everybody what I’m capable of.
JM: What kind of impact is A.J. Dillon going to make at the next level?
AJD: I’m gonna be a dependable guy that’s gonna get the job done. I’m gonna get better on a daily basis.
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