Part four of the series. See earlier work on Ronnie Stanley, Will Fuller and Jaylon Smith.
NICK MARTIN
No. 50 overall to the Houston Texans
While it feels like Nick Martin’s path to Notre Dame was destiny, it’s worth pointing out that it took until his recruitment’s final weeks to even get him to commit to the Irish. Even with brother Zack fresh off an impressive redshirt freshman season as a starting left tackle, Nick was a solid commit to Kentucky, where the Martin brothers’ father Keith played his college football in the 1980s.
But as Notre Dame’s coaching staff saw the early returns on their inherited left tackle they also saw something worth gambling on with brother Nick. And while it took a while to make an official offer, it didn’t take long to realize it was a very good idea.
So five years and four seasons of captaincy later (not to mention a mantel full of lineman of the year trophies), the Martin brothers leave Notre Dame with a special legacy in place. If you saw that challenge coming at the beginning of the Brian Kelly era, head out and buy a lottery ticket.
DID YOU KNOW?
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) May 2, 2016
Nick & Zack Martin are the 1st set of brothers at ND to be selected in top-2 rounds of the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/mWp31Tqfty
A late offer and addition by the Irish coaching staff, Martin flew below the radar in a 2011 recruiting class that was heralded by analysts, but had just as many hits and misses. But on Signing Day, even if fellow classmates Ishaq Williams, Stephon Tuitt, Aaron Lynch were the headliners and fellow lineman Matt Hegarty came in with more pedigree, head coach Brian Kelly saw the traits and demeanor that played out in Martin’s five seasons in South Bend.
“The common theme here with the offensive linemen is their ability to move,” Kelly said on Signing Day. “He’s got really good athletic ability, and he finishes off blocks. He’s got a demeanor again. That offensive line demeanor for us is the way they play the game. And he plays it very, very well.”
It isn't just about speed.@jharrisfootball breaks down Nick Martin's blocking skills.
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 5, 2016
📽 https://t.co/E5yCHn02jK pic.twitter.com/82zcK8iI9I
Kelly sprinkled a few other lineman buzz words when describing Martin’s play—brawler and athleticism noted—while also throwing in the prerequisite, “his brother’s not bad, either.” And while Kelly was wrong in one regard, Nick didn’t end up playing tackle as projected, the slide inside to center now appears to be the template Kelly and Harry Hiestand have followed on their way to developing interior offensive linemen.
The Martin Family OLine dominance continues in the NFL!
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) April 30, 2016
Congrats Nick on being drafted by the Texans. #NDinTheNFL pic.twitter.com/1pqHKhdjKr
Martin’s ascent followed a traditional path. A redshirt season. Limited time as a sophomore, serving as a backup tackle and special teams contributor in 2012.
But after needing to replace Braxston Cave at center heading into 2013, the move of Martin to center helped bring the look of the line into focus, with his size, strength and athleticism helping trigger the running game. Martin starting the first 11 games of the season at center before suffering a knee injury.
NICK MARTIN ➡️ Houston
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 30, 2016
"He'll go and anchor a team for the next 10 years."#NFLDraft #NDinTheNFL pic.twitter.com/I9KSKPnEYL
That knee injury wreaked havoc with Martin’s lower-body strength for all of 2014. A hand injury forced him to move from center to guard, versatility that paid dividends as he displayed multi-position ability but also a tremendous amount of toughness playing at less than 100 percent.
Martin’s return to center was a logical decision for the coaching staff. So much so that they understood why Matt Hegarty would transfer as a graduate instead of stick around and back-up Martin or compete for playing time with Quenton Nelson and Steve Elmer. With the two-time captain’s strength back for his final season, even battling a high ankle sprain, Martin played like one of the country’s best centers, the second off the board in the draft behind Alabama’s Ryan Kelly.
That body of work—not to mention the pedigree Martin brings with an All-Pro brother already an anchor in the league—weighed into the decision by the Houston Texans to trade a sixth-round pick to move up a few slots and select Martin.
“I think you know from my history, I put stock in careers, I put stock in leadership, I put stock in a lot of those things and Nick certainly has those,” Texans GM Rick Smith said. “He’s got pedigree, he has an NFL pedigree, so he’s been around it.
“We just really feel like he adds to our offensive line group. He’s a guy that can come right in, he’s a plug-and-play guy, he’ll compete right away we think, so we’re happy to get him.”
Smith quipped that it pained him as a Purdue guy to spend the team’s first two draft picks on Notre Dame players. But as the Texans try to get their offense up to speed with other Super Bowl contenders, they’ll lean on two former Irish stars to make it happen.
