AJ Dillon Ranks the 3 Strongest Running Backs in the NFL

AP: Plan for the offseason?
AD: Train down in Naples, Forida, with CTP. We’ve got a great team down there.

AP: A lot of people skip leg day. I assume you hit the legs six days a week.
AD: Seven days. You rest when you sleep.

AP: Are you actually working on your legs right this moment?
AD: Oh yeah. During any interview you have to squat.

AP: Long time offensive-line coach Jeff Stoutland recently retired. Did you get to work with him a lot.
AD: Yeah. O-line and running backs have to be best friends and he coordinated the run game. He’s probably on the Mount Rushmore for offensive line coaches. There’s no one in that building who doesn’t have great things to say … about him.

AP: Feels like the offensive coordinators with the fancy pass schemes get more attention. Is that fair?
AD: The run game gets everything going. The pass game is great. You see the big plays. If you get your run game popping off for four or five yards a carry, you’re going to set some really good things going. Sometimes people put too much emphasis on scheme. But it does create sustainability.

AP: How was the scheme different in Philadelphia than your former offense in Green Bay?
AD: Philly does a lot more mid-zone, which I really hadn’t run much coming into it.

AP: Alright, let’s pull some cards (going through pack… ) I got an Eagle.
AD: Who do you got?

AP: I’ll give you a hint … he does not have legs like yours.
AD: Smitty! (DeVonta Smith)

AP: Oh yeah. Do you ever stand next to him and compare legs?
AD: People look at him and think, yeah, whatever. He makes plays. Some of the catches he had this year … the catch he had against the Cowboys when he was horizontal to the ground and caught it. How do you contort your body in these ways? He’s unreal.

AP: Did you think what a lot of fans think… he’s going to get killed.
AD: Yeah. I knew he was a stud. I’ve watched him on tape. I’ve played against him. You look at the guy and think he might take one of these hits and it might be tough. He’s as tough as they come. Bounces back up always. Great leader in the locker room. Nothing but respect for Smitty.

AP: Top three strongest running backs in the NFL?
AD: Gotta put myself. Saquon [Barkley] for sure. Kenneth Walker and Josh Jacobs have a good case. We’re at the Super Bowl, let’s go Walker.

AP: Who squats more, you or Saquon?
AD: If we’re going today, I’d squat more than him.

AP: He might find out you just said that.
AD: We’ve gone back and forth. We had a big squat competition this year. He did beat me in that.

AP: What kind of numbers are we talking about?
AD: We’re talking the amount of weights that the bar is no longer visible. It’s just 45s on there.

AP: I’ve been known to put up a couple plates. Literally, two plates, one on either side.
AD: A couple? OK. It’s all about where you start.