Dolphins Running Back Lands on PFF Ranking of Top 25 NFL Players Under 25

From quarterback Tua Tagovailoa getting bit by the injury bug once again to wide receiver Tyreek Hill‘s publicized detainment, a whole lot went awry in the 2024 season for the Miami Dolphins, who finished with a record below the .500 mark for the first time since Brian Flores was patrolling the sidelines.

Considering all the tribulations that the Dolphins endured across the campaign, there were positive takeaways from the season that have seemingly been glossed over and not talked about enough. One of the biggest silver linings was the play of youthful running back De’Von Achane.

Achane staked his claim as one of the better young players at his position in the NFL in his second season as a Dolphin. He ran for 907 yards — the most of any player on the team by a landslide — and averaged 53.4 rushing yards per contest. To boot, he had great availability, as he suited up in every one of Miami’s 17 games after he was limited to just 11 appearances as a rookie.

In light of a stellar sophomore season in the NFL, Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus recently ranked Achane the 21st-best player in the league under the age of 25. Achane is still a ways away from his 25th birthday, as he’s 23 years old and won’t turn 24 until October.

“Achane’s otherworldly efficiency as a rookie — 7.5 yards per carry — was never going to be sustainable, and his league-leading 93.1 PFF rushing grade and 92.1 PFF overall grade set expectations very high heading into Year 2,” Macri wrote.

“Understandably, his 2024 season wasn’t quite to that rookie-year level, but that shouldn’t take away from how good he still was. Achane still ranked 13th in both PFF overall grade (81.6) and PFF rushing grade (82.8) as a top-10 player at his position in PFF WAR.”

It’s safe to claim that the Dolphins hit on the Achane pick when they selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He played three seasons of football at the collegiate level at Texas A&M before the Dolphins drafted him, and he led the entire SEC in rushing yards per attempt in the 2021 campaign.

Overall, Achane has an incredibly bright future ahead of him in the very best football league in the world, and with any luck, the Dolphins will be able to keep him around in Miami for the long haul.