(2023) Devon Achane - RB - Texas A&M

Devon Achane

RB

5’9, 185

Junior

Strengths	Weaknesses
Outstanding speed Great acceleration Able to hit “2nd Gear” Exceptional agility to juke defenders, change direction Almost always looks for cutback lanes Good receiver	Size, durability concerns Blocking  Can struggle to find space at times between the tackles.

2022 Statistics (Per PFF)

*(Ranking is out of the 111 RBs with 125+ carries this season)

2022 Statistic	Total	Ranking *	Rank Percentile
Rush Yards	1,100	24th	Top 22%
Rushing TDs	8	T-53rd	Top 48%
Rush Attempts	196	35th	Top 32%
Broken Tackles	51	T-30th	Top 27%
Avg Yards after Contact	3.60	22nd	Top 20%
“Elusiveness” Rating (Per PFF)	89.9	37th	Top 33%
Receptions	36	T-11th	Top 10%
Receiving Yards	196	34th	Top 31%
Targets	44	8th	Top 7%

Write-Up:

Devon Achane is a junior running back out of Texas A&M. He racked up 1,100 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns on 196 carries, while catching 36 passes (44 targets) for 196 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns in his 2022 season. He missed 2 games due to a foot injury this year.

Overall, Devon Achane has the high-end speed, agility and vision that should hopefully translate to the NFL level. He excels at finding cutback lanes and bursting through them before defenders can react. He is great in open space and can be an excellent receiving threat out of the backfield. His size right now is a limiting factor for some teams, and it does show on tape in his general lack of power and blocking ability. If he bulks up and still shows off his top-end speed at the Combine, I would not be surprised if Achane becomes one of the top running backs off the board in April.

POSITIVES:

Devon Achane is a very speedy and agile back with incredible burst and explosiveness. He excels at patiently waiting and finding cutback lanes and exploding through them. Once in open space, Achane is phenomenal at making defenders miss through juke moves and stutter steps, rather than with power. His ability to change directions quickly is maybe the biggest aspect of his game and he pairs this with solid vision out of the backfield. He can often hit a “second gear” in his speed when hitting a hole and can easily blaze by flat-footed defenders if they are not ready for him. Achane is also a good receiver out of the backfield, and could excel on designed screens and swing passes to get him out in open space.

NEGATIVES:

At 5’9 and around 185 lbs, Achane is a small and extremely light back, which does bring durability concerns for the next level; though he has not missed much time with injury in his college career. He is not a powerful back and could struggle to create with interior rushes, though his patience could help negate this at the next level. His blocking does leave a lot to be desired, though not through a lack of effort. It is really hard to find many true weaknesses in Achane’s game, and there is plenty to love about his playstyle at the next level. It feels somewhat wrong to really press the size issue, but NFL teams will have questions about it until proven otherwise. If and when he bulks up to around 200 pounds, the hope is that it does not affect his speed and agility.

Draft Projection: Likely Day 2 Pick