Profile: Blake Martinez at a glance
BLAKE MARTINEZ
Position: Inside linebacker.
School: Stanford.
Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 245 pounds.
Age: 22 (born January 9, 1994 in Tucson, Ariz.).
Related: Complete Packers draft coverage
Packers pick Stanford ILB Blake Martinez
Overview: Had a team-high 141 tackles, including 75 solo, and played 14 games as a senior. His 10.1 tackles per game ranked first in the Pac-12. Added six pass breakups and 1½ sacks. Was a USA-Today All-America second team pick and an Associated Press All-America third team selection. All-Pac-12 first team and a Butkus Award semifinalist. Also played basketball and volleyball while in high school.
Strengths: Good instincts and anticipation. Shoots gaps when he triggers and plays downhill. Good motor and effort production. Uses his hands well to play off blocks and protect his legs. Good technician. Matches up well in coverage with tight ends and backs. Shows awareness in zone coverage. Has been a productive specials teams performer. Outstanding personal and football character. Interviewed extremely well at the Combine.
Weaknesses: Lacks ideal arm length. Can be overaggressive at times overrunning the ball. Recorded a 28½ -inch vertical jump, indicative of below-average athletic ability. Can be beat to the outside and take some bad angles. Somewhat rigid and mechanical in his movement. Does not have elite speed to hit the corner.
Quote: “I kind of like everything about him. He’s athletic, he’s productive, he played big-time football at Stanford,” said Eliot Wolf, the Packers’ director of football operations. “He can cover. He can blitz. … I thought he was a pretty versatile guy .”
“I feel like my skill set ranges all over, from my instincts and my ability to tackle, my ability to cover,” Martinez said. “I feel 100 percent confident to go out there and cover whoever I need to cover. … I paid attention to a lot of teams that needed an inside linebacker. The Packers, I talked to them at the Senior Bowl. I talked to them at the Combine.”
Strengths and weaknesses provided by Nolan Nawrocki's NFL Draft Preview.