There are a lot of players that get praise for being one of the top players at their position within the NFL. Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle are all mentioned when talking about “top 10 players by position”, but one Dolphin is rarely mentioned. That Dolphin is the young running back out of Texas A&M, Devon Achane.
Achane was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL draft just about a year and a half ago, and has been an electric, efficient playmaker in his short time with Miami. Out of Texas A&M, Achane was known for his outstanding long speed, he ran track in college because he could outrun everybody. He was utilized as a return man as well, to no surprise, he can fly. However, you cannot just have speed to be a good running back in the NFL. Achane quickly showcased his skill set as more than just speed just a few weeks into the NFL.
It all started just a day more than a year ago, as on September 24th, 2003 Achane put the league on notice. His statline consisted of 18 carries for 203 yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, and 2 receiving touchdowns. Achane showed off elite vision, passing catching skills, his game breaking speed, and contact balance. Even for a light back in the league, Achane was breaking tackles left and right. The rest of his rookie season wasn’t quite as good as that game, but he was still extremely impressive. He finished with 800 rushing yards on just 103 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. It was one of the most efficient running back seasons for a rookie ever, probably the best since Josh Jacobs in 2019 or Saquon Barkley in 2018.
This year Achanes yards per carry is lowered significantly, but he is being productive in some different ways. As weird as it sounds, the Dolphins have been lining Achane out wide on plays this year and throwing the ball to him downfield. He still absolutely plays traditional running back, but the Dolphins with the absence of a solid wide receiver 3 have found their best options to spread the ball around. Braxton Berrios has been off to a slow start at wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr is still injured, and others such as Grant Dubose and Malik Washington are also battling injuries/fighting for playing time. Achane has no issues with this however, as he already has 17 receptions in only 3 games, more than a lot of starting wide receivers in the NFL have. He has made some impressive catches, and has a receiving touchdown to his name this year.
Many, including myself, thought his workload wouldn’t be as big as it has through 3 games. In week 1 it was clear that the Dolphins wanted to feature him more than their other backs, despite Raheem Mostert being outstanding last year. He was the NFLs rushing touchdown leader last year, so it was a surprise to me to see how many snaps he was giving up to Achane week 1. However, Mostert got hurt after that week 1 game, so Achane has become a true workhorse with Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson touching the field a miniscule amount in comparison to him.
In the receiving and rushing game it is clear his impact, one feature of his game that is not mentioned enough is his special teams impact. I talked about how he did it in college, but the Dolphins are also using Achane in the kick return game this year. He had a 30 yard return against Seattle and it’s only a matter of time before he breaks off a big return. With the new special team kickoff rules, he has more return opportunities. He didn’t have many last year, but teams are now using two deep return men. There is also more player safety with the coverage and return units starting closer to each other.
With all this stated, the question becomes, why isn’t he considered top 10 at his position? He averages 6.5 yards per carry, while having legit receiving work, while also being the fastest running back in football. The league is starting to take notice, and it should only be a matter of time before the consensus opinion is he is a top 10 running back.