Markelle Martin: 5 Traits That Make NFL Draft Prospect an Ideal Pro

I had given Markelle Martin a first round grade during the 2011 season. I was really intrigued by his athleticism and nose for the ball. 

However, the Oklahoma State product did struggle a great deal in coverage, which led to many questions about his ability to translate to free safety at the next level. It wasn't as much about lack of athletic ability as it was about technique over the top. 

These are things that can be fixed with seasoning and the right coaching. 

I am going to focus on what Martin can bring to the National Football League, and what makes him an ideal pro.

5. Intimidating Physicality in the Secondary

"Laying the wood" is a term best used to describe the league's hardest hitting safeties. Ed Reed and Dashon Goldson among others, fall under this category. 

It is all about forcing the receiver to think twice about going up the middle against a defense's secondary. Some of the very best defenses have this intimidating force in the back end of their unit. 

Markelle Martin will provide this and more. He doesn't shy away from contact, thriving in scenarios where the opposing receiver actually does decide to go up the middle. 

This can cause the entire middle of the field to be taken away. It can also cause interceptions and fumbles due to the fact that receivers struggle when they have it in their mind that they are going to get hit. 

4. Plays His Best Against Elite Competition

Going up against scrubs like Colorado and looking like a top prospect is one thing. Dominating against a team like Stanford with Andrew Luck is a completely different story. 

Markelle Martin stood up against the best competition that college football had to offer and came out looking like a gem in the making, following those games. 

You just cannot overestimate the ability of a prospect to show up huge in the biggest games. This is something that he did on a consistent basis with Oklahoma State. 

Of course, this translates a great deal to the NFL because he will be facing this type of competition week in and week out. 

3. Athleticism and Size

Markelle Martin stands at 6'1" and weighs nearly 210 pounds. Due to this build, he has the ability to go up against tight ends between the hashes, consistently taking them on in a physical manner. 

More than that, Martin has the athleticism to be a dynamic free safety in the National Football League. He can tackle sideline to sideline, draws out the play and can get to the point of contact in a heartbeat. 

This is a major benefit of his game. The Oklahoma State product reminds me a great deal of Ed Reed in this aspect. The ability to swarm to the ball and tackle a ball carrier well before the first down marker. The ability to close off the gaps and use the sideline as his friend.

Martin consistently showed this in college, and there is no reason to believe that it wont translate to the NFL. 

2. Field Awareness

While Markelle Martin might struggle with technique in coverage, his field awareness is top notch. The safety is able to read the quarterbacks eyes a great deal, fully understanding where he is going to go with the ball. 

This led to a tremendous amount of pass breakups and forced turnovers at Oklahoma State. This is also a reason why I do believe that Martin translates better as a free safety than playing strong-side moving forward.

He is also equipped with an ability to understand offensive formations because of an extraordinary on field I.Q. This is something that a lot of young defensive backs struggle with; you won't see that in regards to Martin. 

Martin will be able to make an immediate impact, even as a starter, because he possesses these rare traits. 

1. Production, Production and More Production

No matter what scouts say in regards to certain aspects of the game that prospects might struggle with, they just cannot argue against production. Well they can, but would come off looking foolish in the process. 

Markelle Martin was one of the most productive collegiate safeties over the course of the three seasons at Oklahoma State. He started every game he played since his sophomore season, and was among their best overall defenders. 

You have to realize that he dominated against elite offenses in the Big 12 as well. This isn't the ACC we are talking about. Martin went up against some of the best skill-position players that college football had to offer, usually coming out on top. 

This means that his learning curve to the National Football League shouldn't be that great. In my humble opinion, he could be a year-one starter. That is saying a lot for a projected second or third round pick.