“It’s a game of speed, right?” Dolphins running back coach Eric Studesville said. “If you’re faster than everybody else, you got to use that at the right times and the right way. He’ll do that.”
That’s the key to the Miami Dolphins offense, speed.
Enter De’Von Achane and his 4.32 blistering speed. For context, that’s the fourth-fastest time ever for the running back position in combine history.
Along with accumulating 2,376 rushing yards and 554 receiving yards for the Aggies, Achane ran a 10.14 100 m. and a 20.20 200m. For context, the standard 200m. Olympic qualifying time is… 20.24.
Studesville praised Achane for being a “really smart guy” and for “working his butt off. He also snuck in the following quote:
“We want a complete back so we’re building all those things in the process.”
Does Achane fit the bill? Well, he will certainly have the opportunity.
Achane, who stands 5’8″ and weighs 188 lbs. soaking wet, electrified the gridiron while at Texas A&M. As for his workload? He totaled 369 rush attempts, with almost half of those coming in his final season. Despite questions surrounding his size at the next level, Achane went to the Miami Dolphins in the third round.
Of his 181 rush attempts in 2022, 114 came from zone-running schemes and 61 of the remaining 67 came from gap-running schemes. As a whole, Miami utilized zone schemes on 54.8% of their rush attempts and 32.4% came from gap-running concepts.
According to Pro Football Focus, Achane boasted an elite rushing grade and gap running grade along with a strong zone-rushing grade. In 2022, he averaged 3.6 YCO/att and continued to build on his strong pass-catching ability.
That Dolphins run scheme under Mike McDaniel is as lucrative as it is juicy. It rewards good lateral cutting, vision, and especially speed. Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert both posted at least 50 yards over expected for the season, with Wilson finishing fourth among qualifying backs with more than 100 RYOE.
On Aug. 3, Achane received every first-team rep in camp. His legs aren’t the only things moving fast.
“He’s going to be great,” fellow running back Jeff Wilson said when asked about helping Achane along. “I want to give him every tool he needs to be great. He’s learning the game fast.”
With all of the buzz coming out of camp about Achane’s play-making and how perfectly he fits with the Dolphins’ offense, he projects to be a very exciting depth piece that could push a roster over the hump come playoff time.
De’Von Achane is currently the Wolf’s RB37 (+6 vs ECR) in his 2023 fantasy football rankings.
