When the Miami Dolphins used a draft pick on a running back in the 2023 NFL draft, it wasn’t all that surprising. However, when they did so was just a bit.
Miami used their third-round selection on Texas A&M running back De’Von Achane, and it was the first time that they drafted a running back that early since selecting Kenyan Drake back in 2016.
Once the pick was made, it wasn’t hard to see why they did it, as Achane has the skills that are necessary to make him a weapon in Mike McDaniel’s offense.
In fact, former Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who’s now the co-founder of The 33rd Team, has ideas for how Miami will use the former Aggie in his rookie season.
“There’s not a linebacker in the league that can stay with [Achane] man-to-man.” Tannenbaum told Josh Larkey on a recent podcast (transcribed by the Miami Herald). “What you can do with De’Von, is pre-release, meaning he’ll have no pass protection responsibilities as the way to get the ball to him quick. They are going to have him [pass] protect at some point. But at his size, that’s not going to be his strength.
“They’ll be creative, meaning there will be some jet motion, jet sweeps, getting him the ball behind the line of scrimmage where you can get the ball in his hands and try to get him in space.”
Playing to Achane’s strengths will help him get on the field right away and allow him to build his confidence. He may be able to work with running backs coach Eric Studesville and some of the veterans on the team to develop as a blocker in the future, but at his size, he’s fighting an uphill battle.
For now, he needs to focus on doing things with the ball in his hands and getting the playbook down. However, when he does get adjusted to the NFL game, he can be a scary piece for Miami.
