AJ Dillon knew he needed to squeeze juice out of his offseason draft process. The Boston College junior running back possessed acute awareness about his stock, and the voices echoed in his ears. He understood why people talked but harbored a burning fire to prove the doubters wrong. He wanted to achieve different heights, and the NFL Combine was the first step on that road.
On Thursday, the NFL Draft kicks off the climax of a unique and surreal process shunted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Over three days, AJ Dillon will sit a full country away in Los Angeles without the family that raised him and with hopes that the wait is shorter rather than later.