Everything you need to know about TT's 4th Round Pick... ILB Blake Martinez

From JSO: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/377508211.html

ROUND 4: (No. 131 overall, compensatory)
THE PICK: BLAKE MARTINEZ, ILB, STANFORD

LOWDOWN: Two-year starter inside in a 3-4, leading the Cardinal in tackles each season. "I really like him," one scout said. "I'm just afraid he's playing as good as he can right now. He's a thick-built guy all the way up. Very smart player. Lacks speed and quick hip flip in coverage. Very solid against the run. He hustles, but speed is limited." Finished with 255 tackles (13 ½ for loss), 6 ½ sacks and 10 big plays. "He's OK," said another scout. "A lot of his production was downfield. He's not an impactful, behind-the-line-of-scrimmage guy. He did play hard." From Tucson, Ariz. -compiled by Bob McGinn (Photo credit: Stanford)

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Name        College        POS        Hght        Wght        Hand        Arm        Wonder        40Yd        BPress        VLeap        BJump        Shuttle        3Cone        60Shutt
Martinz        Stanfrd        ILB        73        237        10.88        31.63                4.71        22        28.5        113        4.2        6.98        n/a

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not impactful

PFF gave Martinez a coverage grade of +10.9 for 2015, highest of any LB in the draft. Measurables coroborate that story. His 6.98s 3-cone and 4.2s SS would be decent for a safety. What he's missing is length.

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Originally Posted by 3irty1

PFF gave Martinez a coverage grade of +10.9 for 2015, highest of any LB in the draft. Measurables coroborate that story. His 6.98s 3-cone and 4.2s SS would be decent for a safety. What he's missing is length.

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My favorite pick in this draft. The 3 cone time is the key. He's gonna be a good starter for this team!

http://www.packers.com/media-center/...4-f446d141c6a1

Packers pick LB Blake Martinez

From Lambeau Field, Packers Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer reads the Packers pick of Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez with the No. 131 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Comment woodbuck27:

I like this pick. This will be the Packers new guy inside at linebacker.

Martinez was a kid I had pegged a couple of months ago as a 3rd day talent.

He could be a fill gap player on defense and make his pay check on special teams.

I think He is more skilled and talented than what scouts say.

Same goes for Murphy.

Kind of funny, but I had Jake Ryan as a comparison for Blake Martinez. I'm sure it was based mostly on similar size and similar athletic measurables (Ryan was slightly better in both). Plus, reading some scouting reports. I didn't get a chance to study Martinez, so I don't know if the comparison is that accurate. I gave both a 4th round grade and both were taken late in the 4th round. I had Ryan as the #8 ILB in last year's draft (he was the 9th ILB taken) and Martinez as the #7 ILB in this year's draft (he was the 8th ILB taken).

My comparison for Kenny Clark was Sylvester Williams.
My comparison for Jason Spriggs was Terron Armstead.
My comparison for Kyler Fackrell was Connor Barwin.
My comparison for Kyle Murphy was Ty Sambrailo.
My comparison for UDFA Beniquez Brown was Ramik Wilson, an ILB who was taken just before Ryan in last year's draft.
My comparison for UDFA Geronimo Allison was Tony Lippett, a WR who was taken in the 5th round last year.

ILB is a position where football instinct means as much as athleticism - more so than most other positions. The fact that Martinez had so many tackles in a big time program is impressive. He seems particularly suited to play the position the way the Packers need somebody to play it - given the large amount of risk taking from the OLBs etc.

Packer ILB Instinct:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7aDde36EpM

This is a fairly decent article about how Martinez will fill the Packers needs at ILB:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/...-olb/83924910/

Unlike the typical fluff piece, this one goes into some detail about how he was actually used at Stanford and includes a lot of references matchups he had in games, etc..

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Stanford played only 17 percent of snaps in its base 3-4 defense last season, Hansen said. In a conference where spread offenses are the norm each week, Anderson said his defense is primarily nickel with two linebackers and five defensive backs on the field.

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It's OK to say it, and it feels so good: Nickel is base!

Time to get overly excited about the prospects of a nickel backer: http://www.packersnews.com/story/spo...-olb/83924910/

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Martinez’ coverage portfolio increased last season. He was a “pure cover linebacker” as a senior, Hansen said. Of his 902 snaps, Martinez lined up across a slot receiver 44 times. He played another 37 snaps in strong safety positions, including 19 snaps against Washington State coach Mike Leach’s five-wide passing attack.

“This last year,” Martinez said, “they left it all to me. Every single time we were in our nickel package and our dime package, I would basically stay in. We’d bring in another corner, and I’d go out and cover the tight ends, running backs and those types of things. I felt like this last year, I improved tremendously on that. I feel 100 percent confident to go out there and cover whoever I need to cover.”

Through production, Martinez earned Stanford’s trust on passing downs. Martinez held opposing quarterbacks to a 79.6 average NFL passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus. He was significantly better than the average 85.2 NFL passer rating FBS inside linebackers allowed in 2015.

Martinez’ plus-10.9 coverage grade was the highest of all inside linebackers in college football last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Originally Posted by mraynrand

It's OK to say it, and it feels so good: Nickel is base!

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Unsound!

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Originally Posted by mraynrand

Packer ILB Instinct:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7aDde36EpM

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"Kato, my little yellow friend......."

I like the Martinez pick. Hopefully he doesn't get lost in zone coverage, which seems to plague us the most when it comes to pass defense.

Me too. I just hope his instincts are better than Ryan's.

I think Ryan stands a good chance of improvement. He got better after he got on the field and played several games. He misses became less obvious.

I think Martinez can be a poor man's Luke Kuechly...

I saw his 40 time listed at 4.62, but someone posted that he ran a 4.72?? Doesn't seem like much, but that could make a difference. Still, I think he has the smarts and instincts to avoid false steps and be much more effective in subpackages than either Barrington or Ryan.

One thing is for sure - if we have to live with Barrington and/or Ryan on the field in subpackages?? We're in for a very long season.

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Originally Posted by Patler

This is a fairly decent article about how Martinez will fill the Packers needs at ILB:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/...-olb/83924910/

Unlike the typical fluff piece, this one goes into some detail about how he was actually used at Stanford and includes a lot of references matchups he had in games, etc..

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Comment woodbuck27:

Edit from original source:

" ...Four days before the Pac-12 title game Blake Martinez was “very doubtful” to play.

Martinez wouldn’t hear it.....diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, an injury that can keep some players out four to six weeks. Martinez was determined not to miss one.

Martinez wasn’t just on the field. He led Stanford with 11 tackles, four more than any teammate.

His blindside sack of USC quarterback Cody Kessler forced a fumble returned for touchdown.. Martinez didn’t test his ankle out until pregame drills and played all four quarters, making the “game-clinching” play that sent Stanford to their third Rose Bowl in four seasons.

“I don’t know how he did it,” Hansen said, “but to be able to play in that game based on what his ankle looked like the Tuesday of game week, it’s an all-time story for me. An instant favorite.” ....

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Originally Posted by pbmax

I think Ryan stands a good chance of improvement. He got better after he got on the field and played several games. He misses became less obvious.

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he had some nice plays with good recognition in both playoff games. Dude was a rookie.