NFL Draft 2012: Oklahoma State Safety Markelle Martin Is Ready to Lead

Markelle Martin is a very versatile safety from Oklahoma State, a hard worker and a team player first and foremost.  Martin missed the 2012 NFL combine with a knee injury.  He is known as a team leader and a solid football player.  His consistency and versatility can be overlooked and those are the things that are to get him drafted.  We sat down for an interview after the combine.

During our discussion we talked about him having to miss the NFL combine with his knee injury.  First I asked him how his knee was and he said “it's pretty good, we are just taking it day by day.  Every day I do something different running wise and training wise and it is improving, it's good."

The combine is a big deal for these guys as everybody we've interviewed has told us how important it was.  They view it as a massive job interview and missing it would be very disappointing.  Martin had to miss it with the knee problem, and I asked what was like having to sit it out. 

He said “for me I had good experiences” and that “getting to see the drills first hand and seeing some of the guys and just being there for the guys” was good for him.  He went further and said that “just being encouraging to the guys like Johnny Thomas from Oklahoma State, being a good friend and teammate” were parts of the combine that he enjoyed.

Martin is a player that nobody got to see on the field in Indianapolis and a guy that most teams will rely on the tape that's out there.  Teams have the tape and know what players are all about at this point.  I asked him what he thought he could offer to the team that drafted him.  He said “I'm very versatile and I work hard putting in the time on and off the field.  I work hard and bring added character and value to the field.”

He was funny when we talk about his favorite moments in college and it gave me an insight as to what kind of a player he is.  He's a team-first guy and he told me that his favorite moments were just the guys who he played with.  Being in the locker room and sharing experiences with the guys who worked hard all year were his favorite moments.

He laughed when he talked about when his team came out with a big win and they had a chance to sing the fight song “and getting a chance to see our head coach dance.  Everybody saw him and it was pretty bad, it's worse than that.  It was a great experience.”

Oklahoma State has some stars at the top of the draft this year, some guys on offense who are going to go pretty high in this draft.  I asked him what it was like to play against Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon on a daily basis.  He said “it was frustrating, I mean as a defensive back there a certain plays you could make on the field and then there are certain plays were you sit back and you look at each other like, what we can do there.”

He talked about Weeden and Blackmon and said “that's why those guys are ranked so high because they do unbelievable things, great throws and great catches.  It's hard not to sit back and marvel at the fact that those guys are going to have a very good chance in the league but at the same time I benefited from having played against them.”

We talked about the safety position and the many ways a safety can be effective on the field.  He talked about the style of defense Oklahoma State played and how at times it put him in a situation to play “in a box or out wide in the nickel or being able to play free safety.  He talked about how he was able to do all of those things and was comfortable with it. 

He said that “if there's something that you're not comfortable doing you might get exposed or if you don't play fast, but I’m comfortable doing all of those things and being more versatile I bring more value to myself.”

We talk about what it was like in the draft process and to be going through a scenario in which he's going to be drafted into the NFL.  I asked him to give a message to the fans of the team that drafted him.  His message was “they are going to get a guy who plays hard from the first whistle to the last” and “I take pride in the game and I respect the game and I leave my heart on the field.”

He said that he was exciting to watch because he's always having fun and enjoying himself but that he liked to win and “wherever I go I'll represent the town well.”

To call it a pleasure talking to him is an understatement, and I walked away from the interview knowing that on draft day, I will have some information that most others don't.  I will know that an NFL city somewhere just drafted a great kid, and I really hope it's the city I live in where my favorite team plays.

Scott Bischoff is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials.