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De’Von Achane – December 26, 2024 Download PDF version

Thursday, December 26, 2024

RB De’Von Achane

(Has anyone from other teams, other coaches said anything to you this season or last about how good you are at pass catching?) – “No, not really. They’ll just be like ‘Good game,’ stuff like that. Nobody has really said anything to me specifically about me catching the ball, no.”

(Have you caught from the Jugs machine earlier in your life to get so good at this?) – “Yeah, most definitely.”

(Going back to what age?) – “I’d say it started in high school.”

(I know wins have to mean the most to you, whether you win or lose a game, it has to be No. 1, but you’re setting so many records – the first Dolphin to do this, the first Dolphin to do that. Is there anything in that list that means more to you than any others?) – “Not really. I just go out there and play football. When you go out there and you play good, the records will come. It’s not like you’re out there thinking, ‘OK, I need this to get this.’ It just comes with great performance, that’s how I look at it.”

(But it has to feel good that those records are yours, right?) – “Most definitely, yeah. When you see everything you’re doing, the hard work paying off, it feels like you’re doing something.”

(There was something that was said earlier today that’s probably going blow you away a little bit. I asked Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver about what it’s like trying to cover a back who can do both. He mentioned – he wasn’t comparing you to him, but he did mention the name Marshall Faulk. When you hear that, what do you think?) – “I think my name being brought up with his is always a great thing. Many people have told me. I’ve heard that more than a few times, so I feel like that’s a good thing when your name is being brought up (with his).”

(You have heard that?) – “Yeah, I’ve heard it before.”

(There are players in the league – you, RB Alvin Kamara, RB Darren Sprouls in the old days – who probably could be a well above average running back and a well above average slot receiver. Was there ever a point in your life you’ve said I’d like to play receiver instead of running back? Or have you always been a running back?) – “I’ve always wanted to play running back, but I’ve played slot receiver in my life before. That’s why it’s not new.”

(What years in high school before transitioning to running back?) – “I’ve always been a running back my whole life. When I was a freshman, my ninth-grade year in high school I played running back. Then my sophomore year I moved to varsity, on varsity we had a running back. So I started at slot receiver and then came and got running back.”

(Was there a certain point in your life where you saw that your receiving skill had really taken a jump for the better?) – “I take pride in catching the ball. I feel like even though I play running back, when I go out there and catch the ball at receiver, I feel like people don’t see a running back do the things that I do. I take pride in catching the football especially lined up at receiver, because you don’t see many running backs. – especially the routes that we run in this offense, you don’t see a lot of running backs go out there and run the routes that I run.”

(How do you like when you’re lined up with a linebacker and they are trying to cover you?) – “Most linebackers or any DB think when I get out wide, I’m either running a go or something like that. They don’t know we’ve got in-breaks, out-breaks; that’s why I like this offense because we run all types of routes.”

(Wide Receivers/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker told us that you’re never in their room. Do you and Wes have to communicate much ever on the practice field about stuff that will involve receiving?) – “No, it’s more when we do team offensive install and we’re going over plays. More of me and (Jaylen) Waddle telling me something or he’ll like put their routes of them running the same routes, and then me and my coach will go look at it and just go from there.”

(You’ve had a lot of runs between the tackles. You’ve always been a guy with strong lower body strength. How has your body held up with all of those inside runs this year going into Week 17?) – “I’m good. I feel like I’m healthy and that’s the best thing that you can think of. Last year I had a couple of injuries, so this year it was more of trying to get through the season.”

(How much did teams talk to you about your receiving skills before the draft? Was that often a conversation piece?) – “Some of them. Some did. After the combine was over, I stayed after and did receiver routes. So after my running back drills, I did some routes at receiver.”

(Was that your idea or was that by their request?) – “Coaches – some teams requested that, so I had to do that. Some knew.”

(You probably welcomed that opportunity, didn’t you?) – “Yeah. It’s good when you can be versatile and can be put in more than one position.”

(Being a dual threat like that, is that something which you find satisfying and get a kick out of?) – “Yeah, it’s fun to me. It makes it hard for a defense to key in when you’ve got two running backs on the field.”

(Would you rather score a touchdown receiving or rushing?) – “Now, I feel like a route like that – I feel like if I’m out at receiver and run a deep route or routes that technically receivers are supposed to run, I feel that is more impressive. Because I’m a running back and nobody expects that.”

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