San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Nick Martin was noticeable during his NFL preseason debut last Saturday against the Denver Broncos.
Unfortunately, he was being noticed for all the wrong reasons.
Pro Football Focus credited the third-round draftee with two missed tackles, although one could argue he should have been slapped with more, and the slew of poor angles and overpursuit issues were more than apparent to anyone who solely watched him on a play-by-play basis over the course of the 30-9 exhibition defeat.
To highlight just how poorly the once-heralded Oklahoma State linebacker played, PFF awarded him a dreadful 31.6 game grade, third lowest among all Niners defenders and the worst out of any rookie head coach Kyle Shanahan deployed during the game.
Ouch.
Needless to say, it's understandable why some fans would react and call Martin another Round 3 draft bust made by San Francisco. At this point, it's clear why third-year pro Dee Winters won the starting job alongside All-Pro Fred Warner, and some may argue Tatum Bethune and even undrafted rookie Stone Blanton deserve to be higher on the depth chart.
However, the embattled Martin has a golden opportunity to turn things around in short order when the 49ers visit the Las Vegas Raiders in preseason Week 2.
Nick Martin can bounce back when 49ers visit Raiders
"I’m taking it on the chin… there were a few plays I wish I could have back," Martin said postgame. "That’s life, learn from it and capitalize next time."
It's important to remember Martin missed all but five games in 2024 during his final collegiate campaign because of injuries, meaning last Saturday's NFL debut was the first action he saw in some time.
And that wasn't lost on defensive coordinator Robert Saleh when he spoke to reporters about the rookie earlier this week.
"Nick’s doing a good job," Saleh said. "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. 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."
Saleh, a linebackers specialist at his core, might need to take a special liking to Martin over the next few weeks, working with him to hone his game and let it come to him instead of trying to do too much, which was readily apparent against Denver.
Fortunately, the intangibles were there. Martin was fast and aggressive, so there shouldn't be any concerns about not having the physical traits necessary to make plays.
At this point, it seems mental. And that's a coachable element.
Saleh and the Niners will likely give Martin plenty of field time against Vegas this Saturday, which is precisely what the rookie needs to continue the next (and necessary) phase of his development.
Even just some modest improvement would be a massive step in the right direction, which would fully change the narrative on what's been a disappointing debut for a promising draftee.
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