Mike Martin (defensive lineman)

Mike Martin

refer to caption

Martin with Tennessee Titans
No. -- Free agent
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1990-09-01) September 1, 1990
Place of birth: Detroit, Michigan
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 298 lb (135 kg)
Career information
High school: Novi (MI) Detroit Catholic Central
College: Michigan
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2015
Total tackles: 68
Sacks: 4.0
Forced fumbles: 0
Player stats at NFL.com

Michael Brendan Martin (born September 1, 1990) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 2008 to 2011. At Michigan, Martin recorded 172 tackles and appeared in 49 games, including 37 games as the Wolverines' starting nose tackle. He was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference player by both the coaches and media in 2011 and received the same recognition from the coaches in 2010. In high school, he was the state Gatorade Player of the Year in football. He was also a two-time Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state wrestling champion as well as a two-time MHSAA state shot put champion.

High school career

Martin attended Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi, Michigan, where he was a multi-sport athlete competing in football, wrestling and track and field. In football, he recorded 206.5 tackles for Catholic Central and was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan for 2007.[1] Though he only took up wrestling as a junior in high school, he won Michigan's Division I state heavyweight wrestling championship in both 2007 and 2008.[2][3] He was also a two-time state champion in the shot put, and his 2008 throw of 63 feet, 9 inches came within three inches of breaking the all-time state record set by T.J. Duckett.[2] As a freshman, Martin played alto saxophone in the school marching band during varsity games in addition to playing on the freshman football team. During his sophomore year he was ranked as the No. 1 junior dog handler for the American Kennel Club.[2] As a football recruit he was ranked as the 7th, 8th and 12th best defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com, ESPN, and Scout.com, respectively.[4][5][6]

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Mike Martin
DT		 Redford Charter Township, Michigan Detroit Catholic Central (MI) 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) 281.5 lb (127.7 kg) 4.8 Jun 5, 2007 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12 (DT)   Rivals: 193, 16 (DT), 7 (MI)  ESPN: 8 (DT)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

Martin at the 2009 Fan Appreciation Day during his college days.

Martin had been a fan of Michigan football since childhood and gave his oral commitment to head coach Lloyd Carr during an official visit in 2007.[2][7][8] When Carr retired after the 2007 season, Martin withdrew his oral commitment and was heavily recruited by both Notre Dame and Michigan State.[9] Martin renewed his commitment to Michigan in January 2008.[3]

Martin enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2008 and played on the Wolverines' defensive line as a true freshman.[10] Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said, "I don't know if I've ever had a true freshman defensive lineman, I guess, as Division I ready as Mike has been. He's going to keep getting better, so we're excited about him."[11] Martin earned freshman All-American honors and led Michigan's freshmen with 20 tackles.[1]

Martin has credited his wrestling technique with helping him against bigger opponents: "It's leverage; it's getting under a guy. Just knowing if a guy is on his heels or toes on the line, you're able to feel if he's on his base or not. In wrestling, that's a big aspect of it, because you've got to be able to feel the different motions of a guy."[11] Martin has also credited wrestling with improving his foot and hand speed.[3]

As a sophomore in 2009, Martin was the starting nose tackle (sometimes referred to as a nose guard) in all 12 games for Michigan. He totaled 51 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2009.[12]

2010 Michigan Wolverines football team defense including #32 Jordan Kovacs, #8 Jonas Mouton, #68 Martin, and #88 Craig Roh

In the winter prior to the 2010 season, Martin underwent surgery to repair a shoulder injury that he sustained during his freshman year.[1] At the start of the 2010 football season, Martin said he felt 110% following the surgery and added, "It feels good to play healthy."[1]

Martin was selected by ESPN.com as one of Michigan's two "weight room warriors" for his 505-pound bench press and 700-pound squat.[1][11][13] In 2010, Michigan linebacker Craig Roh said of Martin:

"Mike Martin is just an animal out there. He's the strongest person I've ever seen in the weight room. It's really showing on the field. He's taking on double teams. (Against Massachusetts), I think the play he sacked the quarterback, he beat a double team and sacked him. Which is — stupid."[2]

Defensive end Ryan Van Bergen added, "He's so fast to get into the backfield. Credit that to his wrestling. I don't know how he can be so explosive and at the same time be moving his feet that fast. It's very unique. He's been unreal."[14] Despite the hoe poor performance of Michigan's defense in the first part of the 2010 season, Dave Dye of Fox Sports Detroit praised Martin's performance:

"Martin is the exception on a lousy Michigan defense. He gives the Wolverines a semblance of stability in the midst of utter chaos. Can you imagine where this defense would be without him? Frightening. He has been the MVP-NND (Most Valuable Player -- Not Named Denard). ... He is the team's quiet hero."[14]

Following the 2010 season, Martin was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference player by the coaches and received an honorable mention from the media.[15][16][17]

As a senior in 2011, Martin had a career-high 64 tackles, including a career-high 10 tackles against Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl.[12] He was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten player by both the coaches and the media after the 2011 season.[18][19] Martin recorded 172 career tackles at Michigan.[12][20] He appeared in 49 games during his four years at Michigan, including 37 games as the Wolverines' starting nose tackle.[21][22]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 1 in 306 lb32 1⁄4 in9 1⁄8 in 4.88 s 4.25 s 7.19 s 33.5 in 9 ft 5 in 36 reps
All values from NFL Combine[23]

Martin was one of 30 defensive tackles and 58 defensive linemen that participated in the February 2012 NFL Scouting Combine.[24] He ranked in the top four among defensive tackles in all six events.[25] His 36 repetitions in the bench press ranked second among defensive tackles,[25] second among defensive linemen,[26] and third at the entire combine (behind Michigan team mate David Molk who was second with 41).[27] His 40-yard dash time of 4.88 ranked third among defensive tackles.[25] He ranked fourth among the defensive tackles and 13th among defensive linemen in the vertical jump with a height of 33.5 inches (85.1 cm).[25][28] His standing long jump distance of 9 feet 5 inches (2.87 m) ranked first among defensive tackles,[25] although that distance was only 14th among defensive linemen.[29] He ranked third among defensive tackles with a 3 cone drill with a time of 7.19,[25] which tied for 15th among defensive linemen.[30] He was second among defensive tackles in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.25,[25] which placed sixth among defensive linemen.[31]

Tennessee Titans

Martin was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round (82nd overall pick) of the 2012 NFL Draft.[32] Martin was the first player from the Michigan Wolverines to be selected in the 2012 Draft.[20] He is one of three Michigan Wolverines and 41 Big Ten players drafted.[33] After being selected by the Titans, Martin said: "Actually, I have really good family friends that live in Tennessee and in Nashville, so I've gotten a taste of Nashville a little bit, and I'm excited to explore it a little bit more—get to know the city and the people."[34] Titans general manager Ruston Webster said of Martin: "He is what you want in a nose tackle. He is tough as nails, a grinder. He doesn't mind doing the dirty work and he brings the kind of mentality we want in our defense."[35] On October 2, Martin was fined $15,750 for hitting Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.[36]

Philadelphia Eagles

On April 26, 2016 Martin signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. On August 28, 2016, Martin was waived by the Eagles.[37]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Matthew B. Mowery (September 2, 2010). "Finally healthy, Michigan's Mike Martin is ready to shoulder the load". The Oakland Press.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Tim Rohan (September 22, 2010). "Mighty Mike Martin: Michigan's very own superhero on defense". The Michigan Daily.
  3. 1 2 3 Tom Lang (January 18, 2008). "The Rich Get Richer: U-M football commit Mike Martin excels on wrestling mat; CC's star rookie in '07 is going for his second state title". Detroit Free Press.
  4. ↑ "Mike Martin". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Mike Martin". ESPN. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Mike Martin". Scout.com. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  7. ↑ Billy Tucker (June 6, 2007). "Michigan adds huge run stuffer". ESPN.com.
  8. ↑ Sam Webb (June 5, 2007). "Martin Couldn't Pass Up Being Blue".
  9. ↑ Bob Wienke (January 12, 2008). "Irish take aim at Martin". South Bend Tribune. p. C.4.
  10. ↑ Mark Snyder (October 29, 2008). "Freshman Martin has impact at defensive tackle for Michigan". Detroit Free Press.
  11. 1 2 3 Pete Bigelow (October 31, 2008). "Freshman defensive lineman Martin is Michigan's workout warrior". The Ann Arbor News.
  12. 1 2 3 "Mike Martin Statistic Archives". University of Michigan. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  13. ↑ Mark Snyder (August 18, 2010). "Wolverines Mike Martin, David Molk are friendly foes". Detroit Free Press.
  14. 1 2 Dave Dye (October 1, 2010). "U-M Insider: Mike Martin the Denard of defense". Fox Sports Detroit.
  15. ↑ Bigelow, Pete (November 29, 2010). "Michigan's Denard Robinson named Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year, other Wolverines honored". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Big Ten Announces 2010 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors". CBS Interactive. November 29, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Robinson Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year". CBS Interactive. November 29, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Molk Named Top Offensive Lineman to Headline Big Ten Awards". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 28, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Big Ten Announces 2011 All-Big Ten Teams and Select Individual Award Winners". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 28, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  20. 1 2 Angelique S. Chengelis (April 27, 2012). "Titans draft Michigan DT Mike Martin in third round". The Detroit News.
  21. ↑ "Mike Martin". University of Michigan.
  22. ↑ Jeff Arnold (September 18, 2010). "Michigan nose tackle Mike Martin breaks free, Rich Rodriguez makes a special trip and more". AnnArbor.com.
  23. ↑ "DL33 Mike Martin DT Michigan", NFL.com, retrieved February 29, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Participants". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Meinke, Kyle (February 28, 2012). "Michigan's Mike Martin ranks among top 4 defensive tackles in every combine event". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Top Performers (Bench Press - DL)". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Top Performers (Bench Press)". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Top Performers (Vertical Jump - DL)". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Top Performers (Broad Jump - DL)". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Top Performers (Three Cone Drill - DL)". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Top Performers (Twenty Yard Shuttle - DL)". NFL.com. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Michigan's Mike Martin goes to Tennessee Titans in third round". Detroit Free Press. April 27, 2012.
  33. ↑ "2012 NFL Draft Central". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  34. ↑ "Conference Call: Mike Martin". titansonline.com (The Official Site of the Tennessee Titans). April 27, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Run defense targeted in 3rd round". The Tennessean. April 27, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Fines roundup: Richard Seymour docked for hit on Matt Cassel". National Football League. 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  37. ↑ "Eagles Get To 75-Player Roster Limit".

External links

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