Thomas Rawls: Notorious rookie highlights
Thomas Rawls had one of the most surprising NFL rookie seasons of 2015. With legendary running back Marshawn Lynch’s body ailing after five non-stop years of Beast Mode, Rawls stepped in and took the league by storm.
Rawls’ breakout party came Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. That afternoon he ran for 104 yards on just 16 carries. Two weeks later he proved it was no fluke by rolling over the Begals for 169 yards and a touchdown.
By the time he demolished San Francisco to the tune of 209 yards, Thomas Rawls was practically a household name.
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In the end, Rawls’ season was cut short due to injuries and a few games backing up Lynch. Despite carrying the ball only 147 times he finished in the top 16 in total rushing yards and first in efficiency.
What makes Rawls’ sudden ascension so surprising was how familiar it all looked. If you pay close attention to the way Rawls finishes his runs by lowering his pads and putting as much power as he can into his final burst, you already know who he draws his inspiration from. If you think the Lynch comparison is a stretch, consider this. According to Sheil Kapadia at ESPN, Rawls averaged 2.68 yards per carry AFTER contact in 2015, which was more than any other NFL running back the last two years.
What does it all mean? Somehow, Seattle found the perfect spiritual successor to Marshawn Lynch in an undrafted free agent from Flint, Michigan. What’s even weirder is at times he looked even better than Lynch at his best. Crazy? Hardly.
Today let’s go back and enjoy some more of Rawls’ rookie highlight reel. This edition includes the Notorious BIG classic, Respect.
Thomas Rawls 2015 highlights
Greater is coming.
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