The Green Bay Packers surprised many when they selected Boston College running back A.J. Dillon with the 62nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. With running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams on expiring contracts and Jones set to earn top running back money in free agency that year, it was assumed by many that Dillon was drafted to be Jones’ replacement.
Instead, the Packers re-signed Jones and made Dillon their top backup in 2021. While it still feels like Dillon was a luxury pick and the Packers would have been better off using their 2020 second-round pick to address a position of need, he at least appears ready to take on a larger role this year and has a chance to show why he was highly regarded by general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers scouting department.