Jimbo Fisher explains why Devon Achane's versatility will extend far beyond his speed in NFL

Texas A&M hosted its annual Pro Day on Tuesday and all eyes were on running back Devon Achane and just how athletic he truly is.

For coach Jimbo Fisher, who managed Achane for multiple seasons on offense, the decision to draft him high in the 2023 NFL Draft should be a no-brainer. He’s just too versatile to pass up on.

“Well he’s a matchup problem, just like we used him,” Fisher said. “We used him and you get him in punt return, kick return, put him in space on an underneath option route. But then he has the unique ability for a running back, most running backs, if you get into his world, are option (route-runners).

“But he has the ability to really catch the deep ball, not just because of his speed, but his athleticism and natural ball skills down the field. And then he’s going to be a running back. Devon’s going to be a three-down guy, and people don’t realize that.”

Fisher lavished praise on his former running back throughout his meeting with the media following the Pro Day.

He broke down the various ways that Achane will fit into the modern-day NFL.

“The way the NFL is now with the situations and the diversity, he’ll excel in that game up there,” Fisher said. “You could think, every year for us he caught 30-something passes every year he played. He was a 30-something catch guy with 1,000 yards every year. That’s a lot of touches, but you can create that with him where you get him touches where you don’t get him beat up inside.”

Devon Achane versatility on full display

Devon Achane’s versatility is apparent enough when you turn on the tape, but Fisher revealed a few things about him that you might have to do a true deep dive to find out otherwise.

“I’m going to tell you you go back and watch, he’s a good pass-blocker,” Fisher said. “He is a tough, he’s physical, he understands how to do that. And the thing about Devon why he’ll be able to do that, the most undertalked about thing about him, he’s highly intelligent. He’s a very easy guy to coach and picks things up very easily. Football makes sense and he’s a very smart guy.”

Fisher thinks he’ll be used in a multitude of ways and he’s likely to be successful in most. The Texas A&M coach said he’s already comparable to several NFL backs.

“He’s right there with all of them,” Fisher said. “He’s a three-down, he can block, he can run between the tackles. That’s the underestimated thing about him, you don’t realize how strong he is and natural balance and body control. Everybody sees him as a track guy, but if you ever watch him, he runs with great patience. A lot of track guys sometimes always want to show their speed. Devon doesn’t show it till he has to.

“He has great natural patience to do it, he catches the ball out of the backfield, he learns very well and he’s also a tremendous kick returner. He can be a dynamic kick returner on kickoffs and things and take them back. He can do everything that the modern day game does, and I think he’ll be a great pro, I really do.”