Getty Tay Martin scoring one of his three touchdowns during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2022.
The San Francisco 49ers added three new weapons into the offense — one through the NFL Draft and two post draft.
Much of the hoopla for the new perimeter options centers around Danny Gray of Southern Methodist. Gray, who was among the list of scouting combine wideout representatives who ran the 40-yard dash below the 4.4 mark (4.33 time), went No. 105 overall in the third round and was the final pick of day two of the draft.
But S.F. wasn’t finished after adding Gray. They settled on adding two more wideouts whose initials happen to be “T.M:” Tay Martin of Oklahoma State and Taysir Mack of Pittsburgh.
And between the two, one was given this label by 49ers beat reporter and insider David Lombardi: A potential Kendrick Bourne-type story.
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Cowboy WR Called Bourne Type
Martin, whose full name is Davontavean, has given off past vibes of the NFC champion wideout from the 2019 season.
“He might be considered this year’s version of Kendrick Bourne, who joined the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2017,” Lombardi wrote on Sunday, May 1.
How so? Is it because of similarities in entering the league, or intangibles?
“Both are tall and lanky and more quick than fast,” Lombardi explained.
How ‘Big Play Tay’ Compares
While he grew up in Houma, Louisiana and unlike the Eastern Washington star Bourne, played in the Power Five realm, Martin does also share one thing in common with the now New England Patriots receiver: He played his college career in the state of Washington before transferring.
Martin first committed then enrolled at Washington State for the 2017 class. He went to Pullman as a 6-foot-2, 164-pound receiver commit for the Cougars’ air attack.
During his run with Wazzu, he got a chance to be the recipient of aerial scores from a future NFL quarterback named Gardner Minshew.
QB Gardner Minshew pour WR Tay Martin ! TD Cougars ! Tout reste à faire.
Stanford 31, Washington State 31
Martin would establish himself as a burner and lob grabber in Pullman at the start of his WSU career. He would go on to tally 143 career receptions for 1,615 yards and 18 touchdowns during his three-year run in the same state where Bourne became a collegiate star.
Oh, his best single game work with Wazzu? It came in 2018 when Martin snatched 13 receptions for 149 yards in a 2018 contest against Bourne’s alma mater.
Stillwater, though, became the place where Martin established himself as a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time in his NCAA career.
Martin produced career bests across the board while with the Cowboys during his final season: 80 catches, 1,046 yards and 10 touchdowns. He became revered among Cowboy fan for producing the football version of a hat trick in the Fiesta Bowl: Scoring three times against Norte Dame.
How Bourne Compares
Bourne is considered slightly shorter at 6-foot-1. Though he has a near identical weight at 203.
He also played in the Football Championship Subdivision realm (FCS), far different from what Martin was used to from a conference game action standpoint.
The EWU standout, though, left the Eagles as an All-American in the FCS world. His final college campaign stat line nearly mirrored what Martin hit: 79 catches, 1,201 yards and seven touchdowns.
Like “Big Play Tay” Bourne never saw his name emblazoned as a draft selection. But here’s how that “tall and lanky” wideout responded:
Games and starts: Bourne played between 11 to 16 games a season with the 49ers, cracking the starting lineup in 13 of those contests.
Touchdown threat: The Ex-UDFA caught 11 total touchdowns from 2018 to 2020. Including the five he collected during the 49ers’ run to the NFC title.
Richer Payday: Though no longer with the ‘Niners, Bourne did enough to persuade the Patriots to hand him a three-year, $15 million deal. He went on to accomplish career-highs in receptions and receiving yardage in his first season in Foxboro.
In the end, if Martin wants to stay in the league and become the next best undrafted success story, the Ex-49er he’s getting compared to is a good example to follow.