De’Von Achane made the most of his opportunities as a rookie. The Miami Dolphins’ third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft averaged a ridiculous 7.8 yards per carry on his 103 rushing attempts and added 197 receiving yards to boot.
Can he sustain that level of success in his second season?
“A lot of times if you have success as a rookie, you go one of two ways: you’re either starved for more or you can get kind of comfortable,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said in a press conference Tuesday. “I know each and every year there are examples for both and that’s something that we were talking with De’Von in our exit interviews when he was exiting the building.
“Whatever you did this year, are you expecting more or less? Well, if you’re expecting more, you definitely can’t do less. You get out what you put in, and I think he’s aware of that because nobody wants to have the climax of their career be the first year.”
It seems Achane got the message. The 22-year-old running back showed up to the Dolphins’ offseason program looking noticeably bigger and warned the rest of the league that they “better be worried about who I’m becoming, not who I was.”
De’Strong Achane. De’Von Againz. https://t.co/LsU9A4hQr9
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) April 16, 2024
“Seeing some strength gains and you can tell by his body he’s put some work into it,” McDaniel said. “Just understanding everything about our offense so he can be as big a part of it as possible. That’s his goal.”
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