With just three picks currently on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers and GM Omar Khan have to be near-perfect on the draft’s final day in Kansas City.
Day 3, which consists of rounds 4-7 is, often viewed as the day in which teams are made. While the big names are gone by the end of Day 2 after three rounds, the fourth through the seventh rounds provide teams with a lot of depth and often uncovers some gems.
Having just three picks on the final day, including two in the seventh round, with no picks in the fifth or sixth, the Steelers are going to have to dig deep to find those key pieces.
Fortunately, Pro Football Focus’ Michael Renner has identified one for the Steelers in his latest piece for PFF. That player? Western Kentucky interior defensive lineman Brodric Martin.
Martin, who checks in at 6045, 337 pounds, spent two seasons at Western Kentucky after transferring from North Alabama. In two seasons and 14 starts with the Hilltoppers, Martin tallied 62 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.
“The Steelers love long nose tackles, and Martin fits that bill in the draft class,” Renner writes regarding Martin as a Day 3 fit for the Steelers. “The 6-foot-5, 330-pounder possesses 35-inch arms that he’s only just figuring out how to use, earning a 77.5 pass-rushing grade last season.”
Martin was invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl and had a strong week, showing the ability to hold up against the run with impressive power while also flashing serious athleticism as a pass rusher on the interior. He simply moves different for a guy his size compared to peers at the position with similar size and weight.
Here’s what Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora had to say about Martin in his draft profile for the site:
“Martin is an easy player to like and his tape was pretty fun. He can stuff the run but he’s not a one-note guy. There’s some energy and pass rush juice, even if he’s gotta work on using his hands and developing his moves. He won’t be heavily used in sub-packages but can rush out of base, sorta similar to Montravius Adams. Martin is a 0/shade in a 3-4 or 4-3 system that does more two-gapping than one-gapping and want run defense first. There aren’t many guys of Martin’s body type to compare to in the modern NFL but I’ll land on Jordan Phillips with a ceiling of a Michael Brockers type.”
The Steelers reportedly brought in Martin for a pre-draft visit, and defensive line coach Karl Dunbar was spotted at Western Kentucky’s Pro Day, checking out the massive interior defensive lineman.
After adding the likes of Breiden Fehoko and Armon Watts in free agency to the trenches, and retaining Larry Ogunjobi, the need for help along the defensive line might be pushed slightly down the board for the Steelers. That’s where Martin could come in on Day 3 for the Black and Gold.
