With the 2015 NFL season coming to an end with the conclusion of the Super Bowl, so too does the Marshawn Lynch era in Seattle. The running back, appropriately nicknamed “Beast Mode,” will hang up his cleats. This comes after Lynch tweeted out a literal picture of a hanging pair of cleats.

While the loss of Lynch will be a tough pill to swallow for the Seattle Seahawks, the team has a ready-made replacement in standout rookie Thomas Rawls. The undrafted free agent accumulated 840 yards on 147 carries to go along with four touchdowns. He also chipped in with nine catches for 76 yards and a score.

Rawls didn’t see much game time behind Lynch when “Beast Mode” started, but thrived when Lynch missed time.

As a starter, the Central Michigan product racked up 756 yards on 132 carries, good for 5.7 yards per carry. Rawls eclipsed the 100-yard mark four different times and the 150-yard mark twice. His best came against the San Francisco 49ers. During the Hawks’ 29-13 win over San Francisco, the rookie posted 209 rushing yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

These numbers helped Rawls lead the league in yards per carry with an outstanding 5.6 rushing yards per attempt.

The rookie’s physical running style makes him a perfect replacement for Lynch. This is much easier said than done given the long-tome standout’s ability to absorb hits and bring a constant physical presence on each play. However, Rawls is the perfect, and maybe the only, man for the job.

His running was especially important to the Seahawks down the stretch last season. With Lynch on the sidelines, Rawls stepped in and ensured that the Seattle offense didn’t miss a beat. He’s one of the big reasons why the team achieved success last season.

Rawls was also nearly as efficient as he was on the road than at home—something Lynch struggled with during the 2015 season. The younger running back picked up 361 yards on 60 carries on the road, including his longest run of the season. That run, which went for 69 yards, came in a close road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The offensive line may look different for Seattle next season, but expect Rawls to continue to thrive. Last year, the rookie found success running to both the right and left side. He picked up 290 yards on 48 carries to the right side of the offensive line and ran the ball 56 times for 301 times to the left side of the offensive line.

In total, Rawls averaged 6.0 yards per carry to the right side and 5.4 yards per carry to the left. The running back didn’t run it up the middle as much (28 carries, 114 yards), but he still turned in a respectable 4.1 yards per rush.

In Conclusion

Thomas Rawls’ ability to run with effectively with physicality make him the perfect replacement for Marshawn Lynch. It will be worth watching to see just how successful Rawls can be after dominating in relatively a short span as a rookie. Something else that will be worth watching is Rawls and Russell Wilson playing together for years to come. The Seahawks have something special.