Tag: Jartavius Martin

What does Scot McCloughan think of the Commanders 2023 draft class?

McCloughan is a fan of Sam Howell and loved Washington’s 2023 draft. Had Forbes over Gonzalez and is a huge Chris Rodriguez Jr. fan.

Former Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan provided his opinion Monday regarding the Commanders’ 2023 draft.

McCloughan runs a scouting service and is a resource for NFL teams. He still, to some degree, follows Washington, saying he pulls for them and still sees the NFC East as a fun, competitive division.

A guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” Monday, McCloughan expressed he really liked Sam Howell in last year’s draft, though Howell lasted until the 5th round. He “proved he would compete and would not back down (in his last year at North Carolina), and I think that shows what you want in a franchise quarterback,” declared McCloughan.

Galdi then inquired of McCloughan’s analysis of each of the Commanders’ draft picks in April’s draft.

Senior Bowl executive director likes the Commanders’ 2023 draft haul

Jim Nagy believes the Commanders got several good players.

There is perhaps no better “draft analyst” than Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy. The Senior Bowl is the most prestigious showcase for draft-eligible players, and it’s Nagy who helps evaluate those players to invite to the Senior Bowl.

Additionally, Nagy is a former longtime NFL scout with several teams, such as the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. Nagy was a part of four Super Bowl winners during his time working in the NFL.

On Friday, Nagy was a guest on the “Grant and Danny” show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Washington Commanders’ 2023 NFL draft.

Three Washington draftees playing in the Senior Bowl, and a fourth, offensive lineman Braeden Daniels, was set to play before he missed the game due to injury.

What did Nagy think, overall, of Washington’s class?

They’ve drafted a bunch of good players,” Nagy said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “I’ve been on the phone with some guys in the front office talking about some of these guys; Quan Martin, K.J. Henry, and Chris Rodriguez were all our guys, Braeden Daniels was committed before he got injured, and we evaluated Ricky Stromberg but didn’t invite him.”

Keep in mind, Nagy didn’t focus on Washington’s first-round pick, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, who was an early entrant into the draft and was not eligible for the game.

Here is some of what he said about each player, beginning with second-round pick, Jartavius “Quan” Martin:

You hope anyone you draft in the first three rounds gets on the field, and he’s easy because you can plug him inti a lot of different spots. He has a lot of range at free safety, can do some nice things inside at nickel corner, and with that speed, you could probably play him outside in a pinch. He was one of the top guys in the draft, not just at DB, in terms of positional versatility.

Nagy is the latest to sing the Commanders’ praises for landing Clemson EDGE K.J. Henry in the fifth round:

He’s going to be a fan favorite and media favorite. He’s a product of that Clemson culture, they do a great job of making their guys grow up. The common theme on that team is that they had a bunch of talented guys who were bit by the injury bug and needed to have good years, and K.J. did that. He’s long, he can run, and he plays so hard – there’s some overachiever to K.J. Henry. He’s got his stuff together, and to me, I love when you can find a guy who is talented but also has that overachiever mindset.
Another really good value pick to me.

Nagy is right about Henry. He’s already a fan favorite. With his multiple interviews and his dad wearing an old Washington jersey after he was drafted, Henry is off to a great start with Commanders’ fans.

As for the sixth-round pick, running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., Nagy believes the Commanders have found another hit:

Love his character. On the field, he runs really hard, and I think that pick speaks to what Coach Rivera wants as an offensive identity. Chris is a little different athlete than Brian Robinson, but they’re the same downhill tough guy, the type of guy you want late in the year. Not all sixth-round picks hit, but I think this one will for the Commanders.

Nagy also believes Daniels is an eventual starter somewhere.

Legit guard/tackle flexibility, could see him playing both spots honestly. He can play both guards and right tackle, and we projected him as a starter-level player.

Obviously, not all draft picks will be successful, but if Washington hit on multiple picks in 2023 it would go a long way in fortifying an already underrated roster.

NFL Analyst ranked Commanders safety best in 2023 class

More praise for Jartavius Martin.

Prior to the 2023 NFL draft, Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms was breaking down the rookie class’s top safeties.

Commanders fans will be glad to know that days prior to the Commanders making their selections, Simms ranked Jartavius “Quan” Martin as his top safety in this year’s rookie class.

Here are some of the comments provided by Simms from his video breakdown of Martin last season playing for Illinois.

“He has very good coverage skills, I mean amazing coverage skills. The only thing he is missing to be in the top of my corner conversation is top-end speed.”

“He doesn’t have that sixth gear that fast corners do. But he is super short-area fast and explosive. His 10 yards is 1.47, so that tells you how he can come out of a break.”

“So, for a safety, he has elite cover skills. Also, I’m not sure he’s not an awesome, awesome nickel slot.”

“Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is who I kind of compared him to. Yes, he can as a safety get down here and cover slot receivers and d _ _ _ if they run a toss sweep or edge run, he will go in and throw his body around like psycho, and that is what he does. So that is where I loved him.”

The Commanders chose Martin in the second round with the 47th overall selection. One only defensive back who could play safety in the NFL was taken ahead of Martin. The Lions chose nickel back/safety Brian Branch out of Alabama two selections ahead of Martin when Detroit was picking at 45th overall.

Rival executives confused with Commanders’ 2023 NFL draft

Some of the criticism is unfair, but it is fair to ask if the Commanders have done enough to fix the offensive line.

The reviews for every NFL team’s 2023 NFL draft continue to come in. The Athletic’s Mike Sando offered a unique perspective on the draft. He spoke with rival executives for multiple franchises to assess each team’s draft haul.

The Commanders selected a pair of defensive backs with their first two picks in Emmanuel Forbes and Jartavius Martin. While the consensus is that both are good players,  one executive pointed to Ron Rivera being a defensive head coach with the first two selections.

“They got two guys that have some speed and ball production and should help them in the secondary, but it goes to show you, if I’m looking at it, I’m saying they definitely have a defensive coach.”

The point the executive was attempting to make was that the defense was good last year, and the Commanders are supposedly all-in with Sam Howell as the quarterback for 2023. So, they question if Washington did enough to help Howell.

Another executive followed up:

“Are they building around their quarterback? They look like they are just picking players. It was a good year for corners, and they take a corner in the top 16 picks. Cam Smith goes in the second round. Darius Rush goes near the top of five. Those are guys who can play. I don’t know how much a 165-pound corner moves the needle for a franchise that is going to trot out a first-year quarterback.”

That’s not necessarily a fair criticism. If Washington was just picking players, then, according to this executive, the Commanders should’ve just taken an offensive tackle, even if one wasn’t worth the selection at No. 16, to build around Howell. Simply put, you take the better player, which Washington did.

There’s a dropoff from Forbes to Smith and Rush, obviously. If you are going to criticize Washington for selecting Forbes at No. 16, then where’s the criticism for Seattle picking Devon Witherspoon at No. 5? And the Patriots for taking Christian Gonzalez at No. 17? We are assuming this executive isn’t allowed to criticize Bill Belichick.

If you want to critique Washington for not doing enough to fix the offensive line, that’s absolutely fair criticism. The offensive line remains a question mark for 2023. However, considering where the Commanders picked and who they picked, they took good players and strengthened the weakest position on their defense.

 

Chris Cooley’s film review of Commanders 2nd-round pick, Quan Martin

Cooley is a big fan of Martin and hopes the Commanders have a defined role for him.

“Did you see he jumped a 44 inch vertical? Do you know how far 44 inches puts you over the rim?”

Those were the first thoughts Chris Cooley expressed on his film review of the Washington Commanders second-round selection Jartavius “Quan” Martin, a defensive back from Illinois.

Cooley was a guest on the Kevin Sheehan Podcast this week, providing film reviews Martin and first-round selection Emmanuel Forbes.

“He moves around, wherever they need him. He’s played a ton.”

“He might be a safety, the more I watch him.”

“Are you taking a guy in the second round because you think he is going to be good somewhere? Or do you have a role for him?”

“I like this pick, and I like a lot about Quan if there is an actual role for him. If in their mind, ‘This is where this dude plays.” Cooley said he doesn’t want Martin to be a guy they try at corner and then settle for safety.

“You don’t take those guys in the first, second, or most likely the third round. You take starters who can be starters that year because you have a position that you know they can fill.”

“The reason I like him at safety is he is fast and has really great hips in transition. He has really great range when he is moving across the field. His red-line to red-line speed is really good.”

“Through the middle of the field, he could be in a straight backpedal, and his turn and pivot to run red-line to red-line is exceptional athletic transition.”

“I think he is a good block shedder. He has a great downhill approach to run-stopping. He makes a ton of TFLs (tackles for a loss) on the other side of the ball.”

“He is a real physical player, fearless.”

“There is something lacking when he is outside in vertical stuff down the field.”

“I didn’t love him in tight-press situations…I don’t think he is a mirror corner. One thing I am sure of, he is not an outside corner.”

 

Commanders cornerback Jartavius Martin is an elite tackler

Martin can do a little bit of everything.

If you’ve watched the Washington Commanders over the years, one of the more noticeable aspects of their defense was poor tackling. Things changed when Ron Rivera took over in 2020. The former NFL linebacker, along with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, helped improve Washington’s tackling, in part by selecting defensive backs who were smart, physical and willing to tackle.

The willing part is essential. Not every defensive back has that mindset. Washington’s current secondary, which features talented players such as Kendall Fuller, Kamren Curl, Darrick Forrest, Benjamin St-Juste and others, has that mindset.

So when the Commanders entered the 2023 NFL draft in search of help in the secondary, they were looking for athletic and physical defenders with a high football IQ.

That’s why Washington selected Emmanuel Forbes and Jartavius Martin in the first two rounds of last week’s draft.

While Forbes, the No. 16 overall selection, is known for his elite ball skills and playmaking ability, Martin — the No. 47 overall selection — is a jack-of-all-trades. Martin did a little bit of everything at Illinois, playing outside cornerback, the slot, deep safety and down in the box. In Rivera’s world of position flex, Martin is the ultimate defensive weapon.

One area where Martin excels is his tackling. According to Pro Football Focus, Martin had a 91.0 run defense grade and a 90.1 tackling grade, which was first among all NCAA defensive backs in 2022.

Worried about Martin’s coverage skills?

The Commanders expect Martin to start in the slot as a rookie in 2023, with Forbes on the outside. The duo of Forbes and Martin give Washington’s secondary some incredible depth next season.

There were some who criticized Washington for taking Martin too high, while others were surprised he was even on the board at No. 47. The Commanders believe they found a gem in Martin.

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The draft round where Washington has mostly failed

Washington’s lack of success in the second round is alarming. The Commanders believe their last three second-round picks can change that narrative.

Did the Commanders finally get a player in the second round who will make sizable contributions for Washington?

Friday, with the 47th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Commanders selected Jartavius Martin, DB, Illinois.

The second round has been not only disappointing, but it has also been many times brutal for the Commanders, Washington Football Team and Redskins.  In the Daniel Snyder era, the second round has been mostly depressing for the franchise and its fan base. Taking ownership in May 1999, Mr. Snyder’s first draft was therefore the 2000 draft.

The team actually drafted well in the second round in 2001 (Fred Smoot) and 2002 Ladell Betts, but after that, the successful picks in the second round have been few.

In his 129 NFL games, Smoot intercepted 21 passes and was a starting corner for seven seasons of his NFL career. In his 111 NFL games, Betts rushed for 3,326 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in his 821 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. The former Iowa Hawkeye also caught 188 passes for 1,646 yards and three touchdown receptions.

To be honest, there have been a few other Washington second-rounders who were not busts and made notable contributions such as Preston Smith (2015) in his four seasons, Trent Murphy with 15 sacks in his three seasons, Rocky McIntosh in his six seasons had 3 interceptions, 8 forced fumbles, 8 sacks, 329 solo tackles, 16 tackles for a loss and 23 quarterback hits.

Commanders Wire certainly hopes Sam Cosmi (2021) finds more success at guard and Phidarian Mathis (2022) can regain his health and strength and contribute at defensive tackle.

Here is the entire list of second-round picks by Washington in the Daniel Snyder era:

2023     Jartavius Martin

2022     Phidarian Mathis

2021     Samuel Cosmi

2018     Derrius Guice

2017     Ryan Anderson

2016     Su’a Cravens

2015     Preston Smith

2014     Trent Murphy

2013     David Amerson

2011     Jarvis Jenkins

2008     Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, Malcolm Kelly

2006     Rocky McIntosh

2003     Taylor Jacobs

2002     Ladell Betts

2001     Fred Smoot

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Commanders defensive Quan Martin one of the most versatile players from 2023 NFL draft

Quan Martin can do a little bit of everything in the secondary.

Fans may get tired of hearing Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera talk about “position flex,” but it’s a valuable asset to all 32 NFL teams.

Rivera likes his offensive linemen to play multiple positions and the same for his secondary. Most of the offensive linemen Rivera has signed or drafted since coming to Washington in 2020 have been able to play multiple spots. With the Commanders’ issues at center over the previous two seasons, that position flex was more critical than ever in 2023.

Perhaps no rookie from the 2023 NFL draft embodies positional flexibility like Washington’s second-round pick Jartavius “Quan” Martin. The Commanders loved Martin throughout the pre-draft process, and, despite taking cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in the first round, Washington selected Martin in the second round.

The Commanders envision Martin being a swiss-army knife of sorts for their secondary. He can cover the slot, play safety, line up at outside cornerback, or come down and play in the box.

Per Nick Akridge of Pro Football Focus, check out how Illinois used Martin.

His future in Washington appears to be in the slot — at least for 2023. But there are so many things the Commanders can do with Martin, making the secondary deeper and stronger next season.

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Commanders 2023 NFL draft grades for every selection

We grade all seven of Washington’s seven selections in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Washington Commanders wrapped up the 2023 NFL draft class by selecting Louisiana EDGE Andre Jones Jr. in the seventh round.

Overall, the Commanders drafted seven players, addressing weaknesses in the secondary and on the offensive line.

How did Washington do with each pick? We grade all seven Commanders’ selections from the 2023 NFL draft.

WATCH: New Commanders CB Jartavius Martin’s highlights

Check out Martin’s impressive highlight reel from his time at Illinois.

When the Washington Commanders hosted Illinois cornerback Jartavius “Quan” Martin for a visit recently, it was viewed as just one of the many the team held with draft-eligible prospects.

Martin was outstanding at Illinois but overshadowed by teammate Devon Witherspoon, who went No. 5 overall in the 2023 NFL draft to the Seattle Seahawks. However, the Commanders were quietly very impressed by Martin for multiple reasons.

Martin played multiple roles for the Fighting Illini, lining up at outside cornerback, in the slot, in the box and playing deep safety. That “position flex” made him an ideal target for the Commanders.

Martin didn’t play all over the place; he stood out at each position. As for his role with the Commanders, it appears he’ll begin his career inside, covering the slot.

Here are some of Martin’s impressive highlights from his time at Illinois.