Miami Dolphins select Devon Achane in 3rd round of 2023 NFL Draft

After his best season during the entirety of his career at Texas A&M, Devon Achane is off to start his new journey in the NFL. The former Aggies star running back has been picked by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 84 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Achane was a four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He wasted no time getting involved on the offensive side of the ball for Texas A&M, playing six games as a true freshman in a COVID-19-impacted season. Achane had just 364 rushing yards and four touchdowns but became a major contributor over the next two years.

In 2021, Achane had 910 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The following season, Achane had 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns. He ended his career with 2,376 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. Achane was a First Team All-SEC selection in the 2022 season.

“The way the NFL is now with the situations and the diversity, he’ll excel in that game up there,” Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said at the school’s recent Pro Day. “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.”

What NFL Draft Analysts are saying about Devon Achane

Achane might not be the biggest name at the running back position in this year’s draft but could quickly change the way a team’s offense looks if given a chance. NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein broke down Achane’s game while comparing him to former NFL running back Leon Washington.

“Finding a player comparison for Achane is challenging because he has blazing speed and is fearless as an inside runner, but is very small by NFL standards,” Zierlein wrote. “He has the creativity and burst to create chunk plays but durability concerns will likely limit the amount of carries a team is willing to give him. Achane can be a complementary slasher with the ability to mismatch coverage out of the backfield or from the slot. However, he’s simply too talented and explosive as a runner to be confined to gadget duty. History does not favor backs his size, but his playmaking potential could be too tough to pass up on Day 2 of the draft.”