Jartavius Martin, S Illinois: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Martin was a three-star cornerback recruit from Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres, Fla. in the class of 2018
The Illinois Fighting Illini had one of the nation’s most talented secondaries in 2022. Most fans know the names Sydney Brown and Devon Witherspoon, but slot corner/safety hybrid Jartavius Martin will also hear his name called high in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Jartavius Martin, S Illinois: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt senior safety from Lehigh Acres, Fla.
Background: Martin was a three-star cornerback recruit from Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres, Fla. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 1,495 recruit according to 247Sports. Martin didn’t receive a star rating from On3.com. He was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 74 grade out of 100. Martin committed to Illinois over Air Force, Central Michigan, Florida International, Georgia Southern, Iowa State, Southern Miss, and Tulane. As a high school senior, he totaled 87 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. The previous year, Martin recorded 38 tackles and two interceptions. He was born on April 17, 2000.
2022 Production: 13 games, 64 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, 11 passes defensed
2021 Production: 12 games, 56 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 6 passes defensed
2020 Production: 8 games, 38 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defensed
2019 Production: 12 games, 23 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries
2018 Production: 10 games, 44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 3 passes defensed
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games in 2018, missed one game in 2019
Awards: 2022 Second-Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Third-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches)
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, more than 2,500 career defensive snaps, converted corner who started outside at Illinois for two years, significant experience lining up in the slot, cut down on missed tackles in recent years, wraps up as a tackler, appears to have required arm length, balance, smooth movement skills, speed to avoid being stacked by slot receivers, quick to gain depth in disguised coverages, takes proper angles from deep safety role in run support, arrives downhill with good speed against the run, success blitzing from the slot, quick to trigger on underneath routes, good range and closing speed to deal with threats in zone, reads the quarterback’s eyes, tight end eraser in man, willing to bump receivers and be physical early in the route, squeezes routes along the sideline when possible
Cons: A little undersized, not a thumping tackler, some segmentation when flipping hips, transitions are high, physically pushed around by tight ends throughout the route, lacks the range to play single-high safety, footwork is flat-footed at times, allows separation at the top of the stem, step slow reacting to switch releases and pick plays in man coverage, quick to declare his hips in man coverage, stop-start agility is a step slow, struggles to accelerate back to top speed after gearing down, not athletic enough to play slot full-time, grabby downfield, needs to be more aggressive attacking the ball at the catch point, doesn’t look comfortable in a true backpedal
Overview: Martin is unofficially listed at 6'0", 195 lbs. The versatile defensive back spent the vast majority of 2021 operating in the slot. He saw more snaps in a traditional safety role in 2022, including work as a single-high safety. Martin is one of the most experienced defensive backs in the 2023 NFL Draft. He played over 2,500 career snaps on defense, plus more than 300 special teams snaps split between the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. Martin began his college career as a cornerback, playing outside corner for his first two seasons before sliding into the slot. The redshirt senior is a sure tackler who wraps up. He’s a little undersized but appears to meet the league’s standard for arm length. Martin displays excellent balance and smooth movement skills. He has the speed to avoid being stacked by slot receivers and quickly gains depth in disguised coverages. The former three-star recruit takes proper angles from his deep safety role in run support and flows downhill with good speed. He’s quick to trigger on underneath routes and displays good range and closing speed to deal with threats in zone. Martin is at his best when he keeps his eyes in the backfield and reads the quarterback. As a slot defender, he performs best when operating in a half-turn instead of a backpedal. Martin is a tight end eraser in man coverage. He’s willing to bump receivers and be physical early in the route. While Martin doesn’t miss many tackles, he’s not a thumping hitter. He gets physically pushed around by tight ends during routes and in the run game. Martin’s hips show some segmentation when flipping, and his pad level is high during transitions. The Florida native appears flatfooted at times and slow to activate his feet. He lacks the range to play single-high safety in the NFL. In man coverage, Martin allows separation at the top of stems. He’s quick to declare his hips in man coverage, which occasionally gets him into trouble. Martin is a step slow reacting to switch releases and pick plays in man coverage. His stop-start agility is a step slow, and he struggles to accelerate back to top speed after gearing down. Martin is a good matchup for tight ends in the slot, but he appears unable to mirror and stay attached to wide receivers consistently. The versatile defender has a bad habit of getting grabby downfield, which will draw yellow flags in the pros.
Overall, Martin is a versatile defensive back with significant experience at outside corner and slot corner, but he’ll likely spend more time in deeper safety alignments at the NFL level. Martin should still receive a healthy dose of snaps in the slot, but he lacks the agility and footwork to play the role full-time.
Role & Scheme Fit: Free safety in a two-high scheme with occasional slot duties
Round Projection: Mid Third to Mid Fourth
Player Comparison: N/A
Submitted: 01-20-23