Allen Park — NFL rookies have a tendency to be stiff when it comes to dealing with the media. And who could possibly blame them? They’ve got enough on their plates where they don’t need to be worried about saying something that garners unwanted attention.
But Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin is different. The big man out of a small football program is uncharacteristically confident off the field, and he’s working diligently to make sure he’s as loose and confident between the lines.
On the outside looking in, Martin is something of a forgotten man from Detroit’s most recent draft class. Grinding in the shadows of early-round selections Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell and Sam LaPorta, Martin hasn’t carried the same expectations of instant impact entering his first rookie camp after being labeled a developmental project by team leadership following his selection in the latter stages of the third round out of Western Kentucky.
But Martin was never going to be content with waiting patiently for his opportunity. He stated earlier this offseason he had every intention of playing in Detroit’s season opener against Kansas City, and signs point to him being on that path after seeing some first-team defensive reps this week.
“We see a level of growth,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “With his size, his length and his strength, you want to see if you can get him to come along a little quicker, potentially. I think that’s what it is. If we saw a player that up to this point was not growing and you’re afraid he’s going to get somebody hurt by being in there, we’re not going to do it.
“The faster he can get worked in and have to go through that, and the more early he gets trucked, or gets worked and gets moved, man, it’ll be so good for him, for any of those (young players). That’s the best way to grow, is to get exposed and then you learn from it.”
The first time Martin matched up against Detroit’s Pro Bowl interior linemen, Jonah Jackson and Frank Ragnow, it was an opportunity to calibrate to that size, speed and strength of this level. It was an important mental hurdle, giving him a better understanding of what it will take to succeed at this level.
“It was one of them (moments) where it was like, ‘OK, I’ve gotta come correct or it ain’t going to look too good for me,'” Martin said.
From a developmental standpoint, the biggest focus has been his pad level, a never-ending challenge for the supersized men who play his position. That’s largely a mental game too, especially when the legs get heavy during the long practices in the hottest days of summer.
“He’s got to drop his pads,” Campbell said before Friday’s practice. “He plays too high right now, but you can see a guy who’s working through it. He’s working, his footwork is getting better and this will be another level of growth for him today. You play high without pads then you play high in pads, it’s going to be even worse. But he knows that and we just keep hitting him on it.”
Martin understands and embraces the fact he has plenty to work on, but, at the very least, he’s been pleased with his cardio through the first week of camp. He had anticipated feeling more winded after the first day in pads, but he left the field feeling pretty good about the way his body held up.
Beyond pad level, there have been other challenges, including an overhaul of his stance and footwork from his college days. Still, Martin is taking it all in stride, while striving to see the field against the Chiefs in early September.
“Definitely, just being there, with those fans, with that O-line, I definitely have envisioned the whole thing, making plays,” Martin said. “The (fans) going to be live and it’s just going to amp me up, too. It’s going to amp you up or you’re going to shy from it, and I’m not the type of person to shy from it.”
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers