Texas A&M's Devon Achane Listed As No. 2 RB In ESPN's NFL Draft Rankings
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Texas A&M's Devon Achane will have the chance to be one of the top running back in 2023. How much will teams value his Olympic speed and special teams skills?
Achane was listed as the No. 2 running back prospect by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., trailing only Texas star Bijan Robinson. The speedster elected to forgo his senior season and declare for the draft following the Aggies' lackluster 2022 campaign.
A three-year contributor for the Aggies since arriving from Fort Bend Marshall (TX) in 2020, Achane took over as Texas A&M's lead running back following the departure of Isaiah Spiller. This past season, the 5-9, 198-pound runner posted career numbers in rushing yards (1,102) and rushing attempts (196) while scoring eight touchdowns.
Last season in a rotational role, Achane led the SEC in yards per rush attempt (7.0) while totaling 910 yards. He scored a career-high nine rushing touchdowns and had 130 fewer carries than Spiller.
A bright spot for Texas A&M (5-7, 2-6 SEC) in a rebuilding year, Achane rushed for at least 120 yards in his final three games. In the Aggies' season finale upset win over No. 5 LSU, he rushed for a career-best 215 yards on 38 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“He’s a tremendous human being, a tremendous player, a tremendous leader, and a tremendous competitor,” Texas A&M fifth-year coach Jimbo Fisher said last month. “He has nothing but heart and toughness about him in everything he does.”
Achane became the 16th player in Texas A&M history to surpass 1,000 yards in a single season after his record-setting out against the Tigers. He'll leave College Station ranked 17th all-time in rushing yards with 2,376 and ranks 12th all-time in total yards.
One thing that separates Achane from others running back is his special team skills. Serving as the Aggies' primary kickoff returner, Achane averaged 30.6 yards per return and scored a touchdown in each of the last two seasons.
Robinson, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, has been considered the "safest" running back prospect since Saquon Barkley in 2018. The junior tailback from Austin has yet to declare for the draft but is not expected to play in the Alamo Bowl against No. 12 Washington later this month.
The Aggies finished 5-7 and were not eligible for a bowl for the first time since 2008.
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