New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: LB Nick Martin, Oklahoma State

Nick Martin was one of six FBS players with 140 tackles or more in 2023.

Nick Martin,LB

Height: 5’11 ½”
Weight: 221 lbs
Class: RS-Junior
School: Oklahoma St.
Hand Size: 9 ¼”
Arm Length: 31 ¾”
40-Yard-Dash: 4.53s
10-Yard-Split: 1.54s
Vertical Jump: 38”
Broad Jump: 10’3”
Bench Press: 26 reps
STATS

A former four-star recruit out of Texarkana, Texas, where he attended Pleasant Grove High School and was the 48th graded player and the 24th athlete during the 2021 recruiting cycle.

Martin recorded over 100 solo tackles in 2023 – his last fully healthy season. He missed 12.6% of his tackles that year and finished his college career with a 13.2% missed tackle rate.

He recorded 66 STOPs in 2023 and earned a First-Team All-Big-12 honor as an undersized linebacker with excellent short-area burst.

Martin also had 397 special teams snaps through his college career, with 292 of them coming in 2022; he recorded 11 tackles on special teams that season. Nick Martin was in attendance at the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Strengths

Muscular frame with excellent sideline-to-sideline range
Very good overall athlete – explosive and violent mover
Good acceleration and speed – twitchy mover
Closes width like a python pouncing on prey
Very quick trigger with immediate movement skills in the short-area
Heat-seeking missile type of mover
Quick to move laterally and avoid incoming contact
Solid ability to change direction
Extreme violence into contact – packs a massive hit
Hit stick caliber shots
Very good overall in run support – excellent eyes and processing to diagnose
Great on the backside in pursuit – routinely undercuts stretch zone from backside
Impressive and effective as a blitzer – attacks A-Gap aggressively
Elite competitor – plays with urgency
Tackling machine in 2023
Two-time team captain
Ollie Gordon II stated that Martine is “the most caring guy ever”
Elite special teams contributor in his early college years

Nick Martin
College: Oklahoma State
Position: Linebacker
Height: 5' 11½"
Weight: 221lbs
Projection: Day Three#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/mt2rhGBGX3
— Screamoblue (@Matthewblue1875) April 14, 2025

Weaknesses

Short and undersized with sub-optimal length
High IQ player but would run himself out of fit too frequently
Wild as a tackler and misses too frequently – 15.5% missed tackle rate in 2024
Failed to shed once OL fit hands inside at second level
Wasn’t dynamic in coverage
Upside on passing downs is as a blitzer
Missed most of 2024 with knee injury

Feb 26, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin (LB15) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Summary

Nick Martin is an undersized, violent mover with bad intentions, who thrived in Bryan Nardo’s 3-3-5 system; he was one of six FBS players with 140 tackles or more in 2023, but a 2024 knee injury relegated him to just five appearances.

Martin has excellent overall explosiveness (straight line and linearly), but he lacks the fluidity to operate well in space when he is not coming forward. His size would suggest a move to safety, but he lacks the fluidity for that role, although he does possess sideline-to-sideline range.

Martin is an asset as a blitzer and a quality run defender, although stacking &n shedding NFL OL may be difficult, due to his measurables. He’ll be a key special teams’ player with sub-package upside, and his overall explosiveness may earn him more snaps in an expanded role.

GRADE: 5.96

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

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Nick Martin,LB

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

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