These NFL rookies will outperform their draft position in 2020
RB. player. Pick Analysis. Green Bay Packers. AJ Dillon. 5. 49. Scouting Report
Packers fans understandably freaked out about the team’s failure to draft a wide receiver to help Aaron Rodgers. That strange decision distracted from the reality that Green Bay did spend a second-round pick on a running back they believe can bolster their 2020 offense.
Admittedly, selecting Dillon was partly a move to protect the team from overpaying Aaron Jones in the future. That doesn’t mean the Packers are going to give the former Boston College star a redshirt year. Matt LaFleur and his coaching staff will feel some serious pressure to prove Dillon’s worth to the fan base as a rookie.
Dillon doesn’t have the speed or sizzle that Jones brings to the Green Bay backfield, but he’s a physical runner who was really productive during his collegiate career. It looks like the Packers are going to shift their offense towards the run in 2020 and Dillon should give them the physical identity they’re looking for.
The odds are stacked against Dillon taking Jones’ job as a rookie, but this backfield is going to be more of a timeshare than a lot of people think. Dillon carving out 150 carries would be a positive sign for Green Bay’s immediate future.