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AJ Dillon: A Packers career retrospective
Reflecting on the 5-year career of a Packers fan-favorite who is now moving on.
8 hrs
(Photo: 247Sports)
The first two days of the 2020 NFL Draft were a wild time to be a Green Bay Packers fan. After the polarising pick of Jordan Love in the first round, the team in the midst of a Super Bowl window followed up with a running back in the second round (and a H-back in the third round but that's a story for another day).
The consensus draft boards didn't view AJ Dillon as a second round pick. Rarely even a third round pick. Some, such as PFF, didn't even list Dillon in their draft board of 300 players. We'll never know how the rest of the NFL viewed Dillon, but it's clear the Packers loved him.
Despite playing just the three seasons of college football, Dillon had to carry the tag of a "high-mileage running back" throughout the draft process. 845 carries in 3 seasons as a thumping powerback is no joke. Don't forget this was around the time when mileage was becoming a real discussion point with guys like Todd Gurley and Le'Veon Bell showing glaring signs of wear and tear.
The proven college production and athletic profile indicated a very high floor for Dillon as a player who would be a factor right away. However as the Packers blazed their way through the 2020 campaign, Dillon was used sparingly, and was only known among the wider NFL fanbase for the viral images of his legs during training camp.
Then one night it started snowing at Lambeau Field in December and just like Santa turning to Rudolph, the Packers turned to Dillon to deliver 21 carries for 124 yards and 2 TDs against a Titans team that wanted nothing to do with the 250 lb snowplough mauling them up the middle play after play.
It was as if the Packers had drafted Dillon just for that game alone. Almost a year later at home to the Seahawks felt similar, as Dillon dog-walked future hall of fame linebacker Bobby Wagner around the yard as snowflakes sprinkled the Lambeau air.
128 total yards and 2 TDs in that game secured a Packers win. Notably half of those yards came through the air. Dillon was never branded as a receiving back, but the Packers were hell bent on making him multidimensional. He was a clunky mover at times, and his 15% drop rate in 2022 was ugly, but 776 career receiving yards is about double what we would've been expecting when he was drafted.
While these games stand out, it was more about solid consistency than stealing the show for AJ Dillon. He exceeded the 50 yard mark in 29 games as a Packer, essentially never on a bell cow workload.
Unfortunately we haven't seen Dillon at his best for quite some time. Of course he missed this past entire season with an injury, but towards the back end of the season before, Dillon struggled to get anything going.
Dillon's final 75 carries as a Packer went for just 231 yards. For context, Aaron Jones' final 75 carries went for 458 yards. Despite the way his time came to a close in Green Bay, I'm not sure I'm ready to consider AJ Dillon a 'miss' when looking back on the 2020 draft.
There were bigger misses before him (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) and bigger misses after him (Ke'Shawn Vaughn). The pick of the running backs drafted behind Dillon is probably Zack Moss? Nothing overly exceptional.
While it may not be at the forefront of NFL decision makers' minds, we shouldn't overlook the person that was AJ Dillon either. An extremely charitable human, and a tremendous ambassador for the Packers and the city of Green Bay throughout his tenure. Few players from outside of the state have embraced the culture of Wisconsin quite like Dillon.
From his love of Door County, participating in every training camp bike ride, rocking up to games in sub-zero temperatures in a pair of dungarees, and his unrivaled enthusiasm within the Packers social media community, Dillon truly embraced the fan-favorite stigma that found him at an early stage of his career.
Dillon was also an extremely charitable figure within Green Bay, raising money within Wisconsin for Feeding America, the Salvation Army and most recently the Dillon Family Foundation alongside his wife Gabrielle.
Did Dillon ever feel like the successor to Aaron Jones? I don't think so. The Packers would eventually splurge top dollar for Josh Jacobs, who is somehow both players all in one. You get what you pay for at the end of the day.
Dillon's time in Green Bay will be remembered not just for the bruising runs in the snow, but for the way he connected with the city and its fans. He's one of those guys you'll always find yourself rooting for, and I wish him nothing but the best with the Philadelphia Eagles in the year ahead.
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