Lions' Brodric Martin getting better, but still raw
The Detroit Lions shocked a lot of draft experts when they moved up to get Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Martin wasn't very high on a lot of draft expert's lists. He had a seventh round grade from some of them. Still, Lions GM Brad […]
The Detroit Lions shocked a lot of draft experts when they moved up to get Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Martin wasn't very high on a lot of draft expert's lists. He had a seventh round grade from some of them.
Still, Lions GM Brad Holmes really liked what they saw in Martin. He liked him enough to try as hard as he could to get back into the third round to take him. Holmes said on Episode three of Inside the Den that the Lions started making calls around the league to trade up at pick 77. Martin didn't get drafted until the 96th pick.
Things have been sort of quiet on the Brodric Martin front during OTA's, mini camp and now training camp. On Friday, we got out first glimpse into how things are going when Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked about him.
"Yeah, Brodic's raw. And then we knew that when we got him, he's young, and he's raw. But there again, we see improvement. He's got to drop his pads. He plays too high right now. But you can see a guy who's working through it, he's working. His footwork is getting better and this will be another level of growth for him today. You know, this will, you play high without pads then, you know, you play high in pads it's going to be worse. But he knows that and he'll just, we just keep hitting him on it. But he's no different than any of these rookies, really, I've seen some growth from spring to through the first four practices. But he's raw. You know, he's got a long way to go."
When the Lions drafted Martin it seemed like they were in for a project. Physically he has everything you want in a defensive tackle. He's big, has long arms and he can move. Sounds like he has to grow into playing in the NFL though. That should really come as no shock.
The good thing for Martin is that there's depth in front of him with Alim McNeil, Isaiah Buggs and Benito Jones. He won't have to be shoved into the deep end and have to learn how to swim out there. He can stay on the shallow side for a while and figure things out.
There's nothing to be concerned about if you're a Lions fan. This about where he should be at this point. Plus the Lions are in a great spot with their roster right now. They can afford to go out and grab guys they think they can mold into what they want them to be.
Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
