Devon Achane – Texas A&M / 5’9 188 LBS
Another small, fast back who could potentially be a terror for linebackers at the next level. Devon Achane is getting lots of buzz around the NFL after his incredible performance at the combine. The former track star ran the fourth fastest 40-yard dash of all time by a running back, a blazing 4.32. Achane would be the most ideal back outside of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs for the Chicago Bears to draft.
Achane is an outstanding athlete and has all the tools to become a star in the NFL. His size is an obvious concern, but if you can overlook that while watching his nasty highlight reels you will forget about how tall or big he is. In 2022, as a junior at Texas A&M Achane saw action in 10 games for the Aggies. He ran for 1102 yards on 196 attempts for an impressive 5.6 yards per carry with 8 touchdowns and one fumble. As a receiver he made 36 receptions for 196 yards, and three receiving touchdowns. Impressive to say the least in College Football’s most difficult conference.
His acceleration is very elite and it’s quite evident in his film. Achane also is one of college football’s better interior runners even with his size. Yes, the NFL is different, and the lineman are way bigger, but the SEC is a pretty good sample size when evaluating these prospects.
Put yourself in Devon Achane’s shoes for this catch.
Texas route out of the backfield.
He fully extends for the catch while falling forward.
He then, in this sequence, manages to keep his balance, secure the ball, THEN posts with his left arm and then gets up to earn YAC. pic.twitter.com/bBaenBoHe8
— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) April 13, 2023
Another area where he excels is special teams. He had 20 kick returns for an average of 31.1 and two touchdowns over his last two years at Texas A&M. He’s a multi-dimensional back who could add tons of big play ability to this offense and give Justin Fields a good option out of the backfield. He’s arguably the fastest and most agile player in the entire NCAA.
Achane could fit in perfectly as a 1-2 down back. I don’t see him lasting as a three down back for the duration of multiple seasons, just due to his size, but the league today is built for teams to have a few good backs rather than one great. I see him going late in the second or early in the third. If Poles addresses the higher priorities in the early rounds, I’d like to see the Chicago Bears take a look at Achane.
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