De'Von Achane

The list of prospects comparable to Achane basically doesn't exist. At 5-9, 188, Achane's frame mostly puts him on a list with prospects that were dominant in college but never found NFL success (Garrett Wolfe, Noel Devine, Dri Archer, etc.). The difference between Achane and those other small runners is that he's probably the fastest NFL running back since Chris Johnson, with a 4.32 40 time perhaps even understanding how quick Achane looks on an NFL field. The fears surrounding the 2023 third-round pick were emphatically and comically put to rest Week 3 last year when he had 233 total yards and four TDs in a 70-20 win over Denver. Achane is a natural runner who thrives between the tackles despite his tiny frame, because his instincts and stride make him highly effective at cutting through traffic. While many former track athletes have unwieldy strides that make it difficult to harness their explosiveness, Achane has no such issues and averaged 7.8 YPC on 103 carries last season. The limitation with Achane is obvious: his tiny frame doesn't stop him from being effective but might prevent him from being durable or handling large workloads. He missed five games and most of a sixth due to injury last season, and the Dolphins might prefer to keep him around 12 carries per game rather than utilizing him as a workhorse. A rotation with Raheem Mostert and maybe even rookie Jaylen Wright is all but assured, likely leaving Achane with some lean weeks when he doesn't score a TD or break off any long runs.

If the severely undersized Achane succeeds as a running back in the NFL then he will be the first of his type since 1997, when Warrick Dunn, at all of 176 pounds, somehow thrived as a starter. Those are long odds -- there have been other small, fast running backs since Dunn, but almost all disappointed. Then again, none of those backs was quite like Dunn, or Achane. At 5-9, 185, Achane ran a 4.32 40 at the combine, and his 100 meter times as a track athlete at Texas A&M -- similar to Tyreek Hill's times -- lend credence to the idea that his playing speed is even faster. A third-round pick, Achane isn't likely to take on huge workloads, but he reportedly was up to 192 pounds by May and planning to add more. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson have workload limitations of their own, so Achane could get a consistent dose of jet sweeps and outside runs with pre-snap motion to get him in space and put his speed to use.