GREEN BAY – After amassing 4,382 rushing yards on 845 carries at Boston College, AJ Dillon had shown NFL scouts pretty much all there was to see on the ground.
In the passing game, however, there were some lingering questions about the 6-foot, 247-pound running back entering the 2020 NFL Draft after he caught just 21 passes in 35 collegiate games.
How are his hands? How well does he run routes? Does he produce in space? Is he good in pass pro?
Once Dillon arrived in Green Bay as a second-round pick, it didn't take long for Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur to see his new running back was more than just a between-the-tackles bulldozer.
"Although he didn't have the notoriety for having hands, I think we found out pretty early when we first got him a year ago that hey, 'Here's a big guy that can be a threat out of the backfield,'" said LaFleur on Monday.
That much was evident during Sunday's 25-22 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals, when Dillon caught four passes for a career-high 49 yards and his first NFL touchdown reception – all of which came during a 16-point second quarter for Green Bay.
These weren't just last-resort checkdowns, either. The first of Dillon's four receptions went for a 12-yard TD after he ran to the flat, flipped his hips and adjusted his body to pull down an Aaron Rodgers pass before finishing the play to the end zone.
Rodgers has praised Dillon several times this season for both his football acumen and the strides the second-year running back has made to become an every-down playmaker. The connection between the two, which moved Rodgers into fifth all-time in NFL history with 421 TD passes, was the culmination of that.
"I'm proud of the touchdown catch because I threw him a high hot one and we were just laughing about how he thought he was gonna get in kind of relatively easy and took a shot there," said Rodgers after the game.
"He's done a good job in the passing game, catching the ball and running after the catch. He's just expanded his ability to play and be more than just a downhill winter running back for us, and I give him all the credit."
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October 13, 2021 at 09:31PM
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AJ Dillon proving he's more than just a ball-carrier in Year 2 - Packers.com
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