De'Von Achane
De'Von Achane is an American professional football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the Dolphins in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life
Achane attended Thurgood Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas. During his high school career, he rushed for 4,795 yards with 87 touchdowns, and was ranked as a 4-star recruit and 96th overall in the nation. He also ran track in high school and was the 2020 Texas Gatorade Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. On December 18, 2019, Achane committed to Texas A&M University.College career
As a true freshman at Texas A&M in 2020, Achane played in six games as a backup to Isaiah Spiller. He rushed for 364 yards on 43 carries with four touchdowns, as well as 97 yards on 5 receptions with one touchdown. Achane was named the MVP of the 2021 Orange Bowl after rushing for 140 yards on 12 carries with two rushing touchdowns in a 41–27 victory over North Carolina.Achane returned for his sophomore season in 2021, substantially increasing his role in the Texas A&M offense, where he recorded over 1,000 all-purpose yards for the Aggies, as well as leading the SEC in rushing yards per attempt. He had four games with over 100 rushing yards and four games with multiple rushing touchdowns. In one of the highlights of his college career, Achane made a 96-yard kickoff return, helping to lead the Aggies 41–38 over No. 1 Alabama.
In 2022, Achane became the starting running back for Texas A&M and posted a new career-high in rushing yards. In his last game for the Aggies, he had 38 carries for 215 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a win over LSU.
Professional career
Achane was praised for his blazing speed and great inside running, but fell in the draft due to his size standards for NFL running backs, despite his muscular stature. Achane had the fastest 40-yard dash among all running backs in the draft.The Miami Dolphins selected Achane in the third round, 84th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.
2023
During Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, Achane had a breakout performance, finishing with 203 yards on 18 carries and two rushing touchdowns, and 30 yards on four receptions and two receiving touchdowns, as the Dolphins won 70–20. This earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3. In the following game against the Buffalo Bills, he had eight carries for 101 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 20–48 loss. In his first career start in Week 5 against the New York Giants, he had 11 carries for 151 yards and a rushing touchdown in the 31–16 win.On October 11, 2023, following the win over the Giants, Achane suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve, and was re-activated on November 18. In Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 14 carries for 107 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown in the 19–56 loss. In 11 games and four starts in his rookie season, Achane finished with 103 carries for 800 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, to go with 27 receptions for 197 yards and three receiving touchdowns.