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Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur spent one year with Derrick Henry as his lead running back with the Tenessee Titans.
Now, LaFleur has his Henry replica in Green Bay.
GM Brian Gutekunst used the 62nd overall pick on Boston College running back A.J. Dillon, a 247-pounder who isn’t just an old-fashioned grinder. In fact, like Henry, Dillon tested like one of the very best athletes at the running back position after running the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, hitting 41″ in the vertical leap and finishing the three-cone drill in 7.19 at the combine.
Taking a running back in the second round of a draft can be debated. Taking a running back that isn’t especially valuable in the passing game can be debated further. From a value standpoint, this is a much bigger surprise than what the Packers did in the first round.
But LaFleur and the Packers clearly like Dillon as the thunder to Aaron Jones’ lightning, or as the future No. 1 back in Green Bay if the Packers can’t re-sign Jones to a new deal after the 2020 season. Jamaal Williams, the current backup, is also a free agent after next year.
Over three seasons at Boston College, Dillon rumbled his way to 4,382 yards and 38 touchdowns. Many have compared him to Henry, the Titans’ star back, and Brandon Jacobs, who once gave the New York Giants a big, physical runner.
Still, it’s increasingly difficult to decipher a clear plan to the Packers’ start to this draft. They’ve now selected a developmental quarterback (Jordan Love) and a running back who will likely be a backup in 2020 and a rotational player in 2021 and beyond.
Dillon caught 21 career passes at Boston College. The best running backs in the NFL add great value in the passing game. Dillon probably won’t at the next level.
Dillon will need to emerge as a punishing runner who thrives in the cold and annually threatens 1,000 rushing yards for this pick to justify the draft spot. He is a talented player, and his size and athleticism combination is no laughing matter, but the Packers really gambled with a valuable resource early in the 2020 draft.
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