Lost in the controversy over Green Bay using its first-round pick on a quarterback and not drafting a wide receiver at all is their somewhat unusual second-round selection. Running back AJ Dillon tips the scales at 247 pounds -- the 6th-heaviest running back drafted in the last 20 years.
He's not the mountain of a man Brandon Jacobs was, nor even quite as big as T.J. Duckett. But the Boston College product is what you might call fullback size, which makes him sort of unusual as a second-round pick.
Table below shows all 24 running backs who weighed in at least 235 pounds and went on to be drafted in the last 20 years. (Several of them were used exclusively at fullback.) Last column shows their best fantasy rank, and it's not terrible; nearly half (11) had a top-25 fantasy season at some point. Five had years where they finished in the top 10.
| DRAFTED RUNNING BACKS, 235+ LBS (2000-PRESENT) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd | Player | Ht | Wt | 40 | Vert | Broad | Rk |
| 2005 | 4 | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | 6-4 | 267 | 4.56 | 37 | 118 | 18 |
| 2000 | 1 | Ron Dayne, NYG | 5-11 | 259 | 4.65 | -- | -- | 31 |
| 2002 | 1 | T.J. Duckett, Atl. | 6-0 | 254 | 4.45 | -- | -- | 27 |
| 2005 | 7 | Nehemiah Broughton, Wash. | 5-11 | 250 | 4.59 | 30 | 108 | 158 |
| 2004 | 2 | Greg Jones, Jac. | 6-1 | 249 | 4.55 | -- | -- | 50 |
| 2020 | 2 | AJ Dillon, G.B. | 6-0 | 247 | 4.53 | 41 | 131 | ??? |
| 2016 | 2 | Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 6-3 | 247 | 4.54 | 37 | 130 | 5 |
| 2005 | 2 | Eric Shelton, Car. | 6-1 | 246 | 4.53 | 38.5 | 124 | 142 |
| 2007 | 7 | Nate Ilaoa, Phil. | 5-9 | 245 | 4.77 | 30 | 103 | -- |
| 2002 | 4 | Jonathan Wells, Hou. | 6-1 | 243 | 4.52 | -- | -- | 49 |
| 2007 | 4 | Michael Bush, Oak. | 6-1 | 243 | 4.62 | -- | -- | 12 |
| 2011 | 6 | Allen Bradford, T.B. | 5-11 | 242 | 4.53 | 29 | 113 | 161 |
| 2003 | 3 | B.J. Askew, NYJ | 6-2 | 241 | 4.6 | -- | -- | 86 |
| 2004 | 1 | Steven Jackson, St.L. | 6-1 | 241 | 4.55 | -- | -- | 2 |
| 2000 | 1 | Jamal Lewis, Balt. | 6-0 | 240 | 4.58 | -- | -- | 4 |
| 2017 | 1 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 6-0 | 240 | 4.51 | 28.5 | -- | 7 |
| 2012 | 6 | Terrance Ganaway, NYJ | 5-11 | 239 | 4.61 | 37.5 | 119 | -- |
| 2010 | 6 | Charles Scott, Phil. | 5-11 | 238 | 4.68 | 30.5 | 111 | -- |
| 2006 | 2 | LenDale White, Tenn. | 6-0 | 238 | 4.49 | -- | -- | 18 |
| 2004 | 5 | Michael Turner, S.D. | 5-10 | 237 | 4.49 | 31 | 114 | 4 |
| 2002 | 7 | Rock Cartwright, Wash. | 5-8 | 237 | 4.47 | 35 | 116 | 43 |
| 2009 | 1 | Beanie Wells, Ariz. | 6-1 | 235 | 4.38 | 33.5 | 128 | 23 |
| 2008 | 1 | Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 5-10 | 235 | 4.46 | 36.5 | 128 | 15 |
| 2001 | 3 | Kevan Barlow, S.F. | 6-1 | 235 | 4.56 | -- | -- | 19 |
Just nine of them weighed 240 plus, and it's a mixed bag as far as NFL success. Derrick Henry is great, and Jacobs had a couple of 1,000-yard seasons for the Giants. But T.J. Duckett never proved worthy of his early selection, Greg Jones never rushed for 600 yards, and the less said about Eric Shelton the better.
Also shown are several combine numbers for these players. Note that Dillon has unusual athleticism for his size. (Or any size.) Only eight (of the 23 other 235-pounders) ran faster 40s (4.53), which is the number many will lock in on. As the picture makes clear, he looks like he's in shape.
But note also that Dillon had the highest vertical jump of the group (41 inches) and the best broad jump (131). It's not surprising, given that those two numbers were also the best of all the running backs at the combine this year. That's right: a 247-pound man jumped higher than any of the five backs taken ahead of him -- Edwards-Helaire, Swift, Taylor, Akers, Dobbins. I understand there’s not a close correlation between jumping and fantasy value.
Green Bay intends to lean on the run in upcoming years, and their plan is for Dillon to be a big (no pun intended) part of that. The athleticism is there. In their wildest dreams, they're probably hoping they drafted the next Derrick Henry.
--Andy Richardson