Dolphins rookie Devon Achane off to fast start, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle ‘very impressed,’ predict ‘instant impact’

PEARLAND – Devon Achane is a blur, darting across the football field with his trademark track star speed.

The former Texas A&M and Fort Bend Marshall standout was the fastest running back at the NFL scouting combine, with a blazing 4.32 in the 40-yard dash that’s the fourth-fastest combine time ever for a running back and the fastest since 2014.

Now that the Missouri City native is getting established with the Miami Dolphins after being selected in the third round, he’s making an equally quick impression on his older teammates as he joined wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and cornerback Xavien Howard at a youth football and speed camp in Pearland.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel can utilize Achane’s athleticism and versatility in his freewheeling offense to create instant mismatches in the open field. And Hill and Waddle see Achane helping boost an already dangerous offense.

“It’s an instant impact,” Waddle said Saturday. “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 was an All-Southeastern Conference selection last season, rushing for 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns as he averaged 5.8 yards per run. He caught 36 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns and returned one kickoff for a touchdown. He had 21 career touchdown runs.

Achane averaged seven yards per carry in 2021 and rushed for 910 yards and nine touchdowns.

“Man, he’s another special player that we added this year,” Hill said. “I’m very excited to see what he brings to this offense. 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.”

A former backup to Los Angeles Chargers running back Isaiah Spiller, Achane was named MVP of the Orange Bowl after rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Alabama.

Achane, who patterns his game after San Francisco 49ers all-purpose running back Christian McCaffrey, rushed for 2,097 yards and 38 touchdowns in high school. Now, he’s off to a positive start with the Dolphins.

“It’s finally starting to feel real,” Achane said. “I’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.”

Achane’s time only trails Chris Johnson (4.24), Dri Archer (4.26) and Keith Marshal (4.31) for the fastest time in franchise history.

Achane was faster than Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs (4.36) and East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell (4.37), who both ran in the 4.3 range.

“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.”

The feedback from McDaniel is significant to Achane.

“It means a lot,” Achane said. “He’s a great coach. He’s one of the best coaches. 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 out there.”

Drafted 84th overall, Achane joins a backfield of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson who combined for 1,283 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season.

Achane is up to 192 pounds and joins an offense that already has a lot of speed with Hill (4.29), Waddle (4.37) and Mostert (4.32).

Achane grew up excelling in track and field, honing his speed and making it translate into big plays on the football field. For the Aggies, he ran indoor and outdoor track and was part of an All-American 100-meter relay team and won the 60-meter dash with a 6.63 clocking.

“I think track helped me a lot with that,” he said. “I’ve been putting al ot of hard work into it.”

And Achane is already fitting into the Dolphins’ locker room dynamic with Hill inviting him to participate in this camp.

“It means a lot,” Achane said. “He texted me and invited me. I was thankful. I’m a rookie. I wasn’t expecting this. I’m going to do my best.”

At 5-foot-9, 192 pounds, Achane isn’t a bigger back. He has electric speed, though.

“People always say I’m small, but I’ve been dealing with that my whole life,” Achane said. “I feel like my size doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been good in my career this far. I do break a lot of tackles. I’m not the type to take any head-on tackles. I feel like I have a natural ability to avoid tackles, and that’s something I’m very, very good at.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.