The Green Bay Packers shocked a lot of people when they selected former Boston College standout AJ Dillon with the 62nd pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Packers still have Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams on the squad, so where Dillon will fit in on the team is still to be seen.
There are a lot of question marks about this pick, but it's not too early to make some predictions. Let's breakdown three bold predictions for AJ Dillon in his rookie season with the Packers.
AJ Dillon Will Be RB2 To Start Season
The Packers are going to give Dillon every opportunity to have a big role on the team. He will start the season as the team's second running back behind Aaron Jones. Even if Dillon doesn't have a strong training camp and preseason, this is going to be something the Packers just hand to him.
At Least 100 Rushing Attempts
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst made it clear the Packers want to be a team that uses the run to set up the pass.
“I think (Packers head coach) Matt (LaFleur) certainly wants to run the ball,” Gutekunst said via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I think he’s talked to you guys repeatedly about how much he’d like to run the ball and have the pass work off of that. I think as we went through, we wanted to have some versatile pieces. Obviously AJ’s a big, bruising back with very, very good speed … Josiah, just the versatility, whether it’s a lead blocker, his ability to create mismatches in the passing game. Matt really wants to tie everything to the run game and off the run game, and these guys will help us do that.”
Last season, Williams rushed the ball 107 times for 460 yards and one touchdown. Everyone should get more attempts this season being a run-first team. Look for Dillon to finish with at least 100 rushing attempts during the 2020 season.
Lowest Rushing Yards Per Attempt Between “Big Three” Backs
Last season, Jones finished averaging 4.6 yards per attempt while Williams averaged 4.3 yards per attempt. Even with all the rushing attempts that Dillon is going to get, he is going to struggle.
Look for him to struggle to gain traction early, which will cause him to finish under four yards per attempt. It's going to be a disappointing season for Dillon which is going to cause Packers fans to question the pick even more.
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