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The Los Angeles Rams continue to sort through their list of draft options. But now, one interior defender who’s caused a “buzz” inside league circles has a one-on-one set up with the franchise.
The Rams are among the teams set to have a meeting with Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin, according to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler. Martin, he said, has been generating some late attention ahead of the draft.
“A name continuing to buzz inside league circles — WKU IDL Brodric Martin,” Fowler said on April 11. “He met with the Chargers yesterday and this morning, will meet with the Rams this afternoon, Colts on Thursday, and will finish the week at the Giants on Sunday.”
Why the Hilltopper Is Rising
Martin is projected to be a Day 3 pick, according to USA Today’s Cameron DaSilva, who called him “an intriguing prospect with good upside.” Bleacher Report rates him as sixth- or seventh-round pick and NFL Draft Buzz also calls him a sixth-round pick.
He’s a massive figure at 6-foot-5 and 337 pounds who combines size with brute force.
Nose tackles must play with power at the point of attack, with DL coaches often demanding they use their hands more than their shoulder pads to win line-of-scrimmage battles. Martin’s hands measure 9 1/8th inches, per Bleacher Report. Fan Nation’s Zach Hicks called him a “classic run stuffer” who plays with “great power at the point of attack.”
However, on plays where he looks like he’s giving his hands a rest, he shows the power from his shoulder pads while accompanied by his leg drive to blow up running plays like this one from one of his Shrine Bowl practices:
Martin is a towering wrecking ball of destruction who lines up and chooses disruption.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote that Martin has “great size for an NFL defensive tackle,” calling him a “space-eater who is impossible to move one-on-one and can create stalemates against double teams.”
Is Martin Worth Waiting on? Plus Worth Plugging Next to Aaron Donald?
The Rams’ interest in Martin is an indication that they need a player to replace free agent Greg Gaines, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and perhaps free agent A’Shawn Robinson, whom they are not expected to re-sign, according to DaSilva, of RamsWire.
“Martin would be a logical replacement for Gaines, even if they’re different types of nose tackles,” DaSilva wrote. “Gaines is much shorter and compact, whereas Martin has a more impressive frame for a defensive lineman.”
Gaines was known to occupy one to two gaps in the effort to free up Aaron Donald and the others lining up next to him. Now, 2021 draft selection Bobby Brown remains the lone true nose tackle option for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and the exotic odd man scheme he has run. Martin could add a powerful presence inside next to Donald to redirect running backs to Donald’s side.
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