Nick Martin (American football)

Nicholas Jacob Martin (born April 29, 1993) is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Martin has also been a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Commanders.

Nick Martin
refer to caption
Martin with the Commanders in 2022
Personal information
Born: (1993-04-29) April 29, 1993 (age 30)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
High school:Bishop Chatard (Indianapolis)
College:Notre Dame (2011–2015)
Position:Center
NFL draft:2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:83
Games started:64
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years edit

Martin and his brother, Zack, attended Saint Matthew Catholic grade school, Indianapolis, Indiana, from kindergarten through eighth grade. Both Martins were products of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) football program from third grade to eighth grade.

Martin attended Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a senior, he helped lead Bishop Chatard to the 2010 Indiana Class 3A state title. He was named a first-team Indiana all-state pick on the Associated Press Class 3A team as offensive lineman.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 68th-best offensive tackle prospect of his class.[1] Originally committed to play college football at Kentucky, Martin switched his commitment to Notre Dame.[2]

College career edit

After his first two seasons as a reserve, Martin emerged as a starter in 2013, starting on the offensive line with his brother, Zack.[3] Martin started 11 games, before sustaining a season-ending knee injury against BYU.[4] Martin returned to form in 2014, and was a named a team captain. Martin started the first three games at center, before an injury to his snapping hand resulted in his move to offensive guard, where he started the remaining 10 games of the season.[5] As a redshirt senior in 2015, Martin started all 13 games for the Irish, helping establish a running game that rushed for 207.6 yards per game, the highest since 1998.[6]

Professional career edit

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+18 in
(1.93 m)
299 lb
(136 kg)
32+12 in
(0.83 m)
9+34 in
(0.25 m)
5.22 s 4.72 s 7.57 s 8 ft 1 in
(2.46 m)
28 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7]

Houston Texans edit

The Houston Texans selected Martin in the second round (50th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[8] On May 13, 2016, the Texans signed Martin to a four-year, $4.77 million rookie contract that includes $2.33 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.67 million.[9]

On August 25, 2016, he underwent ankle surgery and was ruled out for the entire 2016 season. On August 30, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve.[10]

Martin started the first 14 games of the season at center for the Texans before suffering an ankle injury in Week 15. He was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2017.[11] On September 10, 2019, Martin signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension with $18.5 million guaranteed with the Texans.[12] On February 26, 2021, Martin was released by the Texans.[13]

Las Vegas Raiders edit

Martin signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 24, 2021.[14] He was named the backup center to Andre James for the entire season.

New Orleans Saints edit

On July 26, 2022, Martin signed with the New Orleans Saints.[15] He was released on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[16][17] He was released on September 10.

Washington Commanders edit

Martin signed a one-year contract with the Washington Commanders on September 20, 2022.[18] Following Wes Schweitzer being placed on injured reserve, Martin took over as the starting center in Week 4. Two weeks later, the Commanders relieved him of the starting role after activating Tyler Larsen off the PUP list. In the Week 13 game against the New York Giants, Martin subbed in for Larsen in the fourth quarter after the latter was carted off the field.[19]

Personal life edit

Nick's older brother, Zack, is a Pro Bowl offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys.[20] Their father Keith played defensive tackle for Kentucky in the early 1980s.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ Nick Martin – Yahoo Sports
  2. ^ Notre Dame Picks Up OL Nick Martin
  3. ^ Martin brothers anchor ND offensive line
  4. ^ Notre Dame loses center Nick Martin for rest of the season
  5. ^ Martin to guard, Lombard to tackle in OL shakeup
  6. ^ Notre Dame 2015 Data Summary: Offense
  7. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Nick Martin". National Football League.
  8. ^ "Texans select Martin, Miller on second day of NFL Draft". ABC13 Houston. April 29, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Spotrac.com: Nick Martin contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  10. ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans trim roster to 75". HoustonTexans.com. August 30, 2016. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
  11. ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans add three to active roster". HoustonTexans.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018.
  12. ^ Patra, Kevin (September 10, 2019). "Texans agree to 3-year extension with OL Nick Martin". NFL.com.
  13. ^ Houston Texans Public Relations (February 26, 2021). "Houston Texans Transactions (2-26-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "Raiders sign C Nick Martin". Raiders.com. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  15. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. July 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 30, 2022.
  17. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce practice squad additions". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Selby, Zach (September 20, 2022). "Commanders sign C Nick Martin, place Chase Roullier on Injured Reserve". Commanders.com. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  19. ^ Williams, Charean (December 5, 2022). "Report: Tyler Larsen dislocates kneecap". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Gurung, Rajani (September 13, 2021). "Zack Martin's Brother, Nick Martin | Family & Relationships [2022 Update]". Players Bio. Retrieved June 2, 2022.

External links edit