The Detroit Lions started calling around late Friday night looking for a trade partner willing to give up a pick late in the third round of the NFL draft.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes had his eye on an under-the-radar defensive tackle from Western Kentucky, and he did not want to chance losing the player before the night ended or early on Day 3.
When Holmes had a hit, with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 96, he sent three draft choices — Nos. 122, 139 and 168 — to the Cardinals and breathed a sigh of relief that he was able to bring Brodric Martin to Detroit.
“He just has, like we say, he’s got a lot of meat on the bone,” Holmes said. “He’s got a lot of upside. He’s a big man, he’s athletic, he plays hard. He chases to the ball. I don’t think I’ve seen many 330-, 340-pound guys run to the ball like he does and so when you get that — he’s got some rawness, but we’re really excited about his upside.”
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Martin, listed at 6 feet 5 and 337 pounds, played three seasons at North Alabama before transferring to Western Kentucky in 2021. He had four sacks and six tackles-for-loss in two seasons with the Hilltoppers, had a strong performance at the East-West Shrine all-star game and clicked with head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions on his pre-draft visit to Detroit.
“He told me that what I got, what I bring to the table is something that the organization is high on,” Martin said. “Like I’ve been through a lot. I started at North Alabama, went to Western Kentucky and they seen how I fight and he said that’s the Lions’ pride, basically, that’s what they do. They want somebody to come in and fight and all that, so just talking with them — he gave me a sense of confidence. I love talking to him.”
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Martin worked his way into a starting role at Western Kentucky and did so while dealing with personal loss.
Martin’s older brother, Brandon, died of leukemia on Oct. 14, 2021; Martin said Brandon serves as his motivation today.
“He was like probably the father figure I never had,” Martin said. “To be honest with you, I wasn’t real close with my father. So him, he was my protector, he was the person I go to. He was my right-hand man and it was his time. He got called up, so that’s — he’s my everything, he’s my motivation.”
Martin should vie for a rotational spot this fall on a Lions defensive line that returns most of its key contributors from last season.
He played primarily over the center at Western Kentucky, but said he considers himself “not just a nose guard, I’m a defensive tackle.”
“You see him playing in some better competition games like Auburn and then you see some stuff late, he just has a lot of physical traits that get you really excited about his upside,” Holmes said. “I’m not sure, like, his testing numbers and all this stuff. This guy’s a big man, but he moves a lot better on film. He had a really good pro day, his workout was good and it’s hard to find big, athletic big guys like that.”
The Lions added four players in all Friday, taking Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta (34th overall) and Alabama defensive back Brian Branch (45th) in Round 2 and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker early in Round 3.
The Lions, who picked Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall and Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell 18th in Thursday’s Round 1, have two picks remaining on Day 3.
Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions pick WKU DT Brodric Martin in Round 3 of NFL draft 2023
