One Improvement This 49ers Rookie Needs to Make

A few rookies on the San Francisco 49ers had a solid outing in the preseason game against the Denver Broncos.

However, there was one who particularly struggled, linebacker Nick Martin. He didn’t have a great performance by any means.

The negative aspect that stood out with him was his missed tackles. He may have amazing speed and athleticism, but it’s not controlled.

On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh cited that as one improvement he needs to make in order him to put it all together.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Martin (45). — August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (37) runs the football against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Martin (45) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

“Nick's doing a good job. Obviously, he's a big-time running hit linebacker, so he just has to learn how to control himself at the tackle point and come together, said Saleh.

“It’s getting his feet underneath him and just get his body on the ball carrier until the speed of the game catches up to him. If that makes sense. But he's young. It was his first real live action in over a year and a half, so we're not concerned with some of those missed tackles. I think we'll get those cleaned up.”

Martin arguably was the worst rookie performer for the 49ers in that game. However, he mustn’t get down on himself for it.

Those are all learning experiences that he can take heading into practice this week. He must make those tweaks now and be better prepared for the next preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders

“He's in a good place. The good thing is, he's got a lot of teammates who have had first preseason games that didn't go so well, said Saleh. “So, you just put it to the side and find a way to get better. He’s going to have another opportunity to do that against Vegas.”

Entering OTAs and training camp, there was a chance for Martin to become the starter alongside Fred Warner. Unfortunately for him, it’s extremely unlikely with the way Dee Winters has been playing.

Mix that in with how Martins has been struggling, and it’s a no-brainer on who should be the nickel starting linebacker. The bright side is that Martin can still stake a claim to start on base defense.

He can at least be useful on early and obvious run-downs. But he needs to heed the coaching points from Saleh. That will allow him to prove to Saleh he’s learning.

All he will need at that point is to perform well in the next two preseason games. The 49ers know he’s got the physical skills, but he needs to control his chaos if he’s ever going to be trusted to start.

“He's got tremendous range, speed, and plays with a violent mindset. Just got reel it a little bit.”

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