Dolphins rookie Devon Achane impressing Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle early
Speed was the calling card of the Miami Dolphins last season with explosive receivers like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle featured heavily in head coach Mike McDaniel’s offensive attack. And this offseason that same offensive got even faster when Miami selected former Texas A&M running back Devon Achane with the No. 84 pick in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Achane was a major part of Texas A&M’s offense in his college days, and according to his new NFL teammates, it already looks like that they may be the case for the Dolphins offense as well.
“It’s an instant impact,” Waddle said. “You can see it in practice. You can see it in the way he goes about meetings, just his work ethic. Having a great guy in the locker room and an explosive player on the field is obviously going to help us a lot.”
Achane rushed for 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns in his final college season, also proving himself as a threat receiving option and a returner. But what likely solidified the Dolphins’ decision to draft him was his performance at the NFL Combine, where he ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a running back since 2014 with a blazing 4.32-second finish.
And according to the wide receiver nicknamed the cheetah, the hype surrounding the speed of Achane is real.
“Man, he’s another special player that we added this year. I’m very excited to see what he brings to this offense,” Hill said. “So far, he’s been looking really good with his speed and the way he’s able to catch the ball out of the backfield. So far, I’m very impressed.”
The Dolphins have completed three of their six scheduled OTAs this offseason, where Achane has been able to show off his skillset and adjust to a new game speed and offensive system.
“It’s finally starting to feel real,” Achane said. “It’s been fun out there. I’ve been learning. I always come in and think it’s going to be hard. It’s been very good.”
Along with the speedsters on the outside playing receiver, Achane joins running back Raheem Mostert in the backfield, who also runs a 4.32 40-yard dash. Both Waddle and Hill run sub 4.4 40s as well, and defenses may want to pack some track spikes when facing Miami this upcoming season.
“Speed, we generally like around here,” McDaniel said. “That running back group for us is very important and we found a person who fits the skill set we like, but someone who also fits in the room. He is fast.”
McDaniel knows what he likes and likes what he’s seen from Achane, as the rookie ball carrier reacted to his new head coach’s sentiments.
“It means a lot. He’s a great coach. He’s one of the best coaches so he knows what to do with my talent and I’m just glad to be there. He’s a great coach and a great dude. It’s going to be fun this year,” Achane said.