Carolina Panthers 2023 NFL Draft scouting report: Devon Achane

How would Devon Achane fit on the Carolina Panthers?

• RB2 potential, future starter.

One thing for certain is that Devon Achane wouldn’t be coming into the Carolina Panthers as a starter. The team paid Miles Sanders this offseason for a reason, but that does not mean he couldn’t forge a role for himself with Frank Reich and Thomas Brown's scheme.

With Sanders as the RB1, that leaves Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear under contract. The undrafted free-agent impressed in parts after he was picked up off the Buffalo Bills practice squad in 2022, but his future may lay in special teams as a promising kick returner.

In terms of Hubbard, while he showed improvement from his rookie season concerns still remain. The former Oklahoma State man is practically a non-factor in the passing game and it seems the turf monster tackles him on a regular basis. 

With the Panthers likely to draft a rookie quarterback at No. 1 overall, the powers that be should surround their choice with options in the passing game. Achane is definitely that.

His world-class speed could mean Achane sees early play on special teams in the return game if the team looks in a different direction from Blackshear. 

If the Panthers were to add Achane, it would leave them with four smaller running backs - none with the frame of a D’Onta Foreman who took his talents to the NFC North. With that being said, his athletic skill is exceptional and he may be someone that Panthers look to in later rounds.

Many experts predict Achane to be a fourth-round pick. The Panthers currently have two picks in that round, so the notion cannot be dismissed entirely.