Nick Martin (UND.com)
Nick Martin is joining the Texans who nabbed him at fifty. Houston is Irish with their first two picks, having selected WR Will Fuller with the 21st pick overall.
Martin, a team captain in 2014 & 2015, started 37 of the 50 games in his college career, moving seamlessly between guard and center. Draft experts considered the 6 foot, 4 inch prospect to be selected in the second or third round, mostly due to questions about his durability. A scout for an NFL North team told NFL.com that Martin “was much more athletic before his knee injury [in 2013]. He’s had to fight through some physical limitations and I know that he’s been frustrated because of that. He struggled in 2014 and I thought he still looked a little beat up this year. If he can get healthy, he’ll start in our league.”
Martin’s NFL comparison is not his brother, Zack, who plays guard for the Dallas Cowboys, but former Irish center John Sullivan. Sullivan started almost every game for six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, before being sidelined last year with a back injury. He was a sixth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Martin’s brother, a former Irish offensive lineman and Pro Bowl selection, tweeted his congratulations to his younger sibling:
Martins are staying in Texas! Congrats to little brother going to @HoustonTexans !
— Zack Martin (@thegob70) April 30, 2016
Notre Dame graduate, class of '02 (the Davie years!). A former newspaper and TV reporter, andrewwinn is now professionally involved in something far less fun to discuss than college football. A dad, a husband and a wannabe data nerd.
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