De’Von Achane – May 12, 2023
Download PDF version
Friday, May 12, 2023
RB De’Von Achane
(First I wanted to ask what the past week or two have been like? After you got the call, you were coming to Miami, when did you get down here, what have you been up to?) – “After the call, the first couple days after were pretty emotional. Just soaking everything in and me actually having the opportunity that I have. So it kind of hit me hard and I’m just thinking about all the hard work that I put in to be in this position. I got here May 11, so it’s my second day here.”
(Have you been able to meet some of the other teammates, some of the other players, stuff like that?) – “Yeah, if they came across in the locker room. It’s pretty much rookie minicamp so I just met everybody who’s here.”
(How’d you settle on No. 20? I know CB Cam Smith said it was really the only number available. He said he wanted to do No. 30, but how about you?) – “Yeah, pretty much the same, man. I’m cool with No. 28. I’m not the type of person (that says) ‘oh, I want that number.’ They asked me, ‘do you want this, this, this or this?’ And I just chose a number out of the group.”
(What are you most looking forward to? I know obviously we don’t get to talk to you after the camp, after practice, but what are you most looking forward to the next two days?) – “Just basically learning that offense. That’s something that I just pride myself on. I’m trying to learn so everything can be so smooth when I’m at practice. So that’s just something. I’m trying to learn the schemes, learn what the defense is doing, learn just the play calls and the terminology because it’s different in college. That’s basically it.”
(I know it’s just two days, but early thoughts on Miami, the city, the atmosphere?) – “Like you said, it’s Miami … It’s going to be hot, but I’d rather it be hot than cold. (laughter) So I feel good here and I’m glad that I am here.”
(How much did your size get brought up throughout your career even from college to now in the NFL?) – “It gets brought up a lot. Like you said, everybody’s got their opinion on me. I don’t be worrying about what everybody’s got to say because I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of, so my size to me doesn’t matter but it does get brought up.”
(How much do you think it benefits you in terms of hiding behind the offensive line?) – “It benefits me a lot. I’m a much smaller back than usual. I’m shorter. O-line is big, so it’s kind of hard for them to see and like you said, it’s hard for them to tackle me as well because big guys, it’s kind of hard to tackle small guys.”
(Can I ask you a couple of really basic questions regarding your name? First your last name is pronounced “AY-chain,” correct?) – “Yes, sir.”
(Second, I saw on social media your first name with an apostrophe in the middle. Is that how you do it?) – “Yeah, it’s D-E-apostrophe, capital V-o-n.”
(What happened where it seems like everyone has been writing it without the apostrophe? What happened there?) – “I mean, they’re doing that, so they almost likely call me ‘Devin’ and then I tell them it’s ‘De’Von.’ And then they be like ‘oh…’ And then I tell them how you spell it. And then they be like, ‘okay, I get it now.’”
(Kind of bouncing off a previous question, one of the things I had seen was that maybe you would be able to put on more weight or maybe you kept your weight a little bit down because you were also running track at Texas A&M. Do you think that you plan on putting on more weight in the NFL or do you think you’re good with where you’re at right now?) – “I’m actually the heaviest I’ve been right now. I was like 192 when I weighed in this morning. I always knew that I could gain weight. I just didn’t have the full offseason to gain weight because obviously I was doing track. This is my first year not doing track so I actually had the whole offseason to work out and be in football shape. So it kind of helped me with that.”
(Have you been able to elude tacklers going way back to when you first picked up a football, would you say?) – “I mean, that was a long, long time ago. I probably don’t remember some of it, but it was kind of my – he probably kind of gave me the ‘okay, do you want to play football?’ When I first got on the football field, I kind of didn’t know what I was doing, but it was fun to me and it made me want to learn it. When I got to learn it, I found out I was good at it, so it’s something that I love and I enjoy doing.”
(Do you still love track, too? I know you’re not a track man now, but…?) – “Yeah, track will always be there. That’s something that I was good at that as well, so I love track as well, but I knew what my profession – I knew that football was my favorite sport. That’s something I’ve been playing since I was three years old. I only started running track since I got to high school. So football kind of outweighed that.”
(The adaptability from college to the pros, how has your schedule been adjusting to that?) – “Kind of like you said, you’ve got to make sacrifices. Like you said, these three days that we have rookie minicamp, it’s going to be hard. You’re getting up early. You’ve got to go to sleep. You’ve got to eat. So basically just getting my body right and my mind right. And just basically trying to just learn the scheme and learn the plays as fast as I can.”
(Are there restless nights where you’re trying to understand the playbook and just the different schematics that your coaches are informing you of?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s restless nights because like I said, we spend a long time in meetings so they make sure that we’ve got as much information as we can. If you want some add-ons that you spend like 10, 15 minutes at the hotel. But no, they give us enough time to get to sleep, eat.”
(I know a lot of people have mentioned speed and things like that, but what are some other things that you think set you apart coming into this group?) – “I feel like I can play – I’m great on special teams, I can catch the ball out of the backfield, I have very good hands, I can line up at receiver. So I can do more than just play running back. So I feel like that’s what makes me different.”
(And as a young guy, how do you balance coming in, trying to make a name for yourself, making a good impression and not letting the moment be too big and emotions overcome?) – “You’ve just got to be humble. Like you said, don’t let – you know what you came here to do. Always keep the main thing the main thing and I’m just trying to get here and focus and make sure that I learn the scheme so when I am at practice, I’m just trying to make it to where I make as little mistakes as possible.”
(Coach Jimbo Fisher mentioned when you coming back for the LSU game after the injury said a lot about your character. I’m curious why you decided to play that last game there at A&M?) – “So at that time, LSU was a top-five team. They were trying to win so they could get in the top four and make the playoffs. They were a great team. I knew it was going to be a very competitive game and I’m a very competitive person and so much of that – I told my teammates I was going to miss the two weeks before that because my foot was hurt, but I told them that I’m going to make sure I get it good enough so I can play with y’all because some of the seniors, it might’ve been their last time playing on Kyle Field. So I just wanted to be there to share that moment with them so I made sure I was on that field with them at that time.”
(Since you were drafted, I guess you’ve had a few more interactions with Head Coach Mike McDaniel. What’s your impression of him as you’ve gotten to know him?) – “He’s a very funny guy. He’s always got jokes, but at the end of the day, he’s serious and he’s a great coach and I plan on learning from him and I feel like I’m in a great position to do so.”
(You talked about learning the scheme, but what are some key things you have to know now going into this?) – “Basically just know the plays. Like you said, I could be used at different things like receiver and special teams, so I have to come in with my head on my shoulders and make sure that I’m grasping the most information as I can.”
(When people talk about you, we often hear of Darren Sproles and I’m wondering if you know who he is and if that’s a fair comparison?) – “Yeah, I know who he is. He was one of the shorter backs like I am. Great running back. Like you said, all great running backs don’t have to be big, 6’3”, 6’4”. I feel like he’s a great example of that. So I feel like, like I said, everybody talks about my size, but I know what I’m capable of and I’m good at the size that I am right now.”
(Have you had much contact with guys like RB Raheem Mostert and RB Jeff Wilson Jr.? Have they given you any advice yet?) – “I just talked to (Jeff) Wilson. I’d seen him in the locker room, so he was telling me it’s going to be a grind. I came prepared for that. Mostert, he’s not here. If I saw him in the locker room, I’m pretty sure he’d have great advice for me.”
