Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – The dust had barely settled on the Packers' second sixth-round pick Saturday and AJ Dillon was already blowing up Isaiah McDuffie's phone with excitement.
It came after the revelation the two former Boston College Eagles would once again be teammates after the Packers picked McDuffie with the No. 220 selection of the NFL Draft.
Dillon, a running back, and McDuffie, a linebacker, were members of the same recruiting class in 2017. Given the nature of their positions, the two frequently locked horns on the practice field and developed a strong friendship along the way.
"Me and AJ, we talk quite a bit," said McDuffie. "After I got drafted, he reached out and just said, 'Congratulations, let me know. Enjoy your day. Let me know when you're in town and we can pick back up where we left off.'"
Seen as a "Swiss Army knife" at the heart of Boston College's defense, the 6-foot-1, 227-pound McDuffie had 233 career tackles, 8½ sacks and an interception in 37 career games.
This past year, McDuffie finished fifth in the country with 107 tackles and reset his single-game career-high with 16 tackles against second-ranked Notre Dame last November.
McDuffie was one of the top recruits out of New York when he committed to Boston College in 2016. A two-way player for his father, Stephenson McDuffie, at Bennett High School in Buffalo, McDuffie had 111 tackles and five forced fumbles on defense and rushed for 1,531 yards and 21 touchdowns on offense during his senior year.