Marlon Mack has injected a whole new hope into the Indianapolis Colts.

The South Florida native got drafted into the team from Jamie Moore, who had been watching him play for two seasons and pile up more than 2,500 yards, a sterling 6.7-per-carry average, and 23 touchdowns during that span.

At the time, Moore told USA Today that he'd pitched Mack to Chris Ballard in the Colts' “war room,” and Ballard was extremely satisfied with the choice.

“Ballard’s Colts filled their need for a young running back Saturday, grabbing Mack with the 143rd pick in the fourth round of the NFL draft; all told, he’s one of just two offensive players drafted by the Colts this weekend, joining another fourth-rounder, USC tackle Zach Banner.”

Now that he's a part of the team, the Powers that Be are keeping an eye on him for three very important reasons.

  1. He leads the NFL in breakaway percentage. Considered the natural successor to Frank Gore, Marlon Mack has a 56.1 breakaway percentage, with five 15-plus yard runs, and nine missed tackles. This has forced Chuck Pagano to give him more touches, as a player, and has made the most of the limited reps he's been getting.

2. He helped “turn the team around” this past season. The Colts got off to a bad start, to be sure — that 1-5 start nearly killed them — but, with the help of Marlon Mack, the team went to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. They even went so far as to dominate the AFC South champion Houston Texans. And even though they ultimately lost to the Chiefs — who ultimately didn't get to go to the Super Bowl anyway — that comeback is giving the team hope.

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3. He has a co-sign from no less of an authority than quarterback Andrew Luck, according to Indianapolis' CBS affiliate.

“It was fun to watch Darius Leonard run around, and Kenny and those guys in the secondary and Clayton (Geathers), and the guys up front on the O-line and Marlon (Mack). That’s a great group of guys in that locker room, and a lot of them are young.”

Hopefully, Marlon Mack can keep that same energy going in the next season.