Truck stick, bowling ball, runaway train, or Ford F150, all of these descriptors fit the play and running style of SMB’s destructive and accomplished 6′, 220 lb. RB Landon Dillon. Not only is he one of the hardest RBs in the state to tackle 1v1, Dillon was a tremendous blocker last Friday night and opened a ton of holes for his fellow RBs while leaving the Providence Academy defenders who were helplessly in his way shaking in their boots. Powerful at the point of attack and impressively balanced through contact, Dillon had some ridiculous runs that involved 5-6 broken tackles and piles of bodies left in his wake. Dillon does possesses quickness and lateral agility, with keeps would-be tacklers on their heels before he lowers the boom, and he does such a great job of keeping his legs pumping and fighting for as much possible yardage as possible each and every run. Providence Academy needed every pound and every defender possible to corral Dillon last Friday night. He’s an exceptional powerback and played up and above my excited expectations against Providence.

RBs can absolutely qualify as one of the hardest hitters in the state, and I’m pumped to move over to the offensive side of the ball to round out the state’s hardest hitters in the 2024 class. I recently wrote about SMB’s 6′, 215 lb. All-District RB Landon Dillon in our new Top Stock Risers article from a couple of days back, so I’ll stick to his success in the contact department for this write-up. Dillon opens his tape by nearly knocking a would-be tackler’s helmet off his head and crumpled to kid so hard it honestly looked like he knocked him out. He’s devastating when he lowers his shoulder, and can even send kids flying off him with his legs alone. Getting run over like that hurts, and Dillon is more than often the hammer and not the nail in contact situations, which is rarer to find in an offensive skill player. With a mix of finesse in his game, Dillon doesn’t need to resort to the straight truck stick very often, but when he does it rocks the worlds of opponents. Easily one of the least-fun RB tackling assignments in the state.

RB Highlights

Our third biggest stock riser of the 2024 PRzMN official rankings update goes to another The Blake School and SMB Wolfpack junior in RB Landon Dillon Landon Dillon 6'0" | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN . Up 140 spots to just outside the Top 50 at #53 overall, Dillon has massively boosted his game and recruiting stock and, as a guy who loves power backs, has quickly turned into one of my favorite players in the state. At a robust and sturdy 6′, 215 lbs., Dillon posted 853 tough-earned rushing yards and 14 TDs last fall, resulting in recruiting contact with DIII, DII, and FCS programs around the MN footprint. An old-school, downhill, North-South ball carrier with fantastic contact balance, lateral agility, and a thunderous truck stick that crumples tackle attempts, Dillon showed a ton of different ways to beat opponents at the contact point that can consistently make the first man miss and generally needs more than one defender to bring him down. Also has solid speed for his size and playstyle, vision that helps him get the most out of his carries, and a playmaking mentality no matter the situation. Watching him easily run and slip through quality tackle attempts never gets old, though. I’d love to have this dude on my team.

I sat down on my couch to watch Landon Dillon Landon Dillon 6'0" | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN ‘s film, and the first thing I saw was him bulling over an unblocked nosetackle, then dragging two defensive backs with him on the way to the end zone. The next play saw him pull another pair of defenders with him past the goal line, and I knew I was watching a stud. Dillon is 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, and runs like every play might be his last. He has a knack for getting low to the ground, especially right before contact, and this allows him to truck past even the most technically sound defenders he faces. The yardage he gains after contact is absurd at times, and I saw him turn multiple would be negative rushes into first downs. The more I watched his film, the more he reminded me of another running back with the last name Dillon on Green Bay.

The powerful 6′, 215 lb. SMB RB made the 4A Preseason All-State team and built on his physical sophomore film with an 853-yard and 14 TD showing as a junior Wolfpack ball carrier. The tape looked so good I mentioned him in our PrepRedzoneMN Midseason Breakout Stars report, and he opens the 2022 tape with a brutal truckstick that he then carries forward and bounces off a would-be dogpile for a TD run channeling Jerome Bettis or Brandon Jacobs. His contact balance and overall balance is great, and for a bigger back he’s got game-breaking speed that can take advantage of holes in the defense and lots of daylight. Also shows off some efficient cuts in the open field as well as a spin move or two, and as a scout and football fan who enjoys big backs and his kind of running style, I absolutely love watching him run, break tackles, gain yards after contact, and generally keep defenders on their toes thanks to that always available truckstick. I would be pumped to have join my hypothetical RB room. Visited NDSU this November and the Bison have been all over him this season. Please watch his Hudl if you haven’t seen the tape yet!

Dillion is a patient runner who is excellent at reading and setting up his blockers. Early, he dragged a tackler for three yards. Then, he showed his patience on a run between the tackles. Later, he took his time at the line of scrimmage for ten yards. He showed his power by breaking a tackle for an eight yard gain. He dragged tacklers for positive yardage on back-to-back inside runs in the second half.

9 rush TDs through the midseason point is nothing to scoff at and the Preseason 4A All-State FB has been a balanced and formidable truck-stick of a RB through 4 games of 2022. His physical edge and contact balance are tough for defenses to handle at the prep level and he’s got the ability to wear down a defense over four quarters. I love truck sticks and Dillon has some good one in his tape.