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Sports Illustrated Projects 49ers LB Nick Martin to Make Major Impact

Don't be surprised if Martin makes the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys linebacker Nickolas Martin (4) against the Wisconsin Badgers during the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys linebacker Nickolas Martin (4) against the Wisconsin Badgers during the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers drafted a few projects this year.

Nick Martin is not one of them.

Martin has all the tools to make a major impact from Day 1 as the 49ers' replacement for Dre Greenlaw who signed with the Denver Broncos this offseason. Whether Martin's body can hold up playing weakside linebacker at 221 pounds in the NFL is to be determined. But he should have no issues getting on the field as a rookie.

That's why Sports Illustrated projects Nick Martin to be one of the three most productive rookies picked in Round 3 this year.

"Martin is undersized at 5' 11½" and 221 pounds, but plays an explosive brand of football," writes Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick. "From his sideline-to-sideline speed to his blitz proficiency, Martin has the athletic tools to clean up the trash at the second level of San Francisco’s defense while also making plays in pursuit. Martin struggles taking on blockers and is still progressing as a read-and-react player against the run. Still, Martin is a viable replacement for free agent departure Dre Greenlaw in the middle of the 49ers’ defense."

Martin indeed struggles to take on blockers, which is why the 49ers drafted Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and C.J. West as well. They're all elite run defenders who can tie up blockers and keep Martin untouched.

In addition, Martin recorded a whopping 6 sacks in 2023 -- more than Williams, Collins or West ever recorded in a collegiate season. Look for 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to use Martin as a blitzer on third downs.

Don't be surprised if Martin makes the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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