Pro Football Focus is spending part of their week recapping the decade that was in the NFL as they count down their best 101 players from 2010-2019. They released 101-76 on Monday with no former Notre Dame players making the list.
75-50 were counted down on Tuesday and former Notre Dame star offensive lineman Zack Martin made the cut, coming in ranked 51st overall. PFF says of Martin:
One of the most consistently dominant linemen in the league every year, Zack Martin may have been the third-most-heralded lineman on his own offensive line for the better part of his career, often taking a backseat while Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick were heavily praised. However, the past few seasons have seen him elevate his game and earn far more recognition in his own right. Going up against — and largely shutting down — Fletcher Cox twice a season within the NFC East will help in that regard, and Martin has now earned an overall PFF grade above 85.0 in five of his first six seasons in the NFL.
I’ve said it before and will again – since Martin entered the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, Martin has dominated his position as much as anyone else in the league.
Some will scream “Rob Gronkowski at tight end!” at me and yes, Gronk is a sure-fire Hall of Famer whenever he’s out of football for five years. Martin has made all but two starts since coming into the league which also speaks to his dominance.
I’m curious to see the rest of the list as I’m guessing playing only six of the 10 seasons worked against Martin overall. I’m looking forward to see where they rank Harrison Smith, who spent much of the decade playing at as high of level as almost any safety in the league.