Patriots draft profile: Damien Martinez knows how to get the tough yards

The Miami running back projects as a mid-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft.

Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson are a formidable duo atop the New England Patriots’ running back group. That does not mean there is no room for improvement either — improvement that could come from what is a deep class at the position in this year’s draft.

One of its most intriguing members from a Patriots perspective is Miami’s Damien Martinez, who is projected to come off the board early on Day 3.

Hard facts

Name: Damien Martinez

Position: Running back

School: Miami

Opening day age: 21 (1/31/2004)

Measurements: 5’11 5/8”, 217 lbs, 75 1/4” wingspan, 30 1/2” arm length, 9 1/2” hand size, 4.51s 40-yard dash, 7.16s 3-cone drill, 4.49s short shuttle, 35” vertical jump, 10’4” broad jump, 8.17 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Colleges: Oregon State (2022-23), Miami (2024)

Career statistics: 38 games (27 starts) | 1,311 offensive snaps, 5 special teams snaps | 514 carries, 3,169 rushing yards (6.2 yards/carry), 26 TDs | 50 targets, 32 catches (64%), 391 receiving yards | 1 kickoff return, 17 yards | 3 fumbles, 4 drops

Accolades: Honorable mention All-ACC (2024), First-team All-Pac 12 (2022, 2023), Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2022)

A team captain and all-state selection during his time at Lewisville High School in his Texas hometown, Martinez received five scholarship offers entering the college level. He eventually decided to join Oregon State, where he quickly burst onto the scene as one of the most productive running backs in the conference as a true freshman. He followed it up with an equally impressive sophomore campaign.

By the time he entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season, Martinez had gained 2,354 scrimmage yards and scored 16 touchdowns on 370 touches. His first and only year in Miami was more of the same: even though his attempts and yards per game slightly decreased compared to his previous season, he still finished with 159 carries for 1,002 yars and 10 touchdowns as well as 17 receptions for 204 more yards.

Martinez decided to forgo his senior season to enter the draft. He participated in the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine.

Draft profile

Expected round: Day 3 | Consensus big board: No. 117 | Patriots meeting: N/A

Strengths: At just under 6-foot-0 and weighing 217 pounds, Martinez is a compactly-built running back who combines power with a surprising amount of elusiveness. The 139 missed tackles he forced in just three years of college football are concrete proof of that, and of the fact that he has impressive contact balance and knows how to keep his feet working through contact. Martinez knows how to get the tough yards, averaging 3.9 yards after contact between his stints at Oregon State and Miami.

Martinez also runs with good vision and allows his blocks to develop before committing to holes or making cuts. Those cuts are decisive; he drives his legs into the ground and changes direction without any wasted movement. In general, he is quite nimble for a player his size and more variably-usable than just as a pure between-the-tackles power back; he could find a home both in a gap or inside zone scheme at the next level.

He also enters the NFL with some strong ball security skills. He has been credited with only three fumbles during his college career, although that number is somewhat deceiving: his lone “fumble” in 2024 was the result of a bad shotgun snap that he unsuccessfully tried to reel in.

Weaknesses: Martinez is a good all-around back but he lacks any truly elite tools from an athletic perspective. His acceleration and long speed are serviceable but nothing special, and his quickness is solid but no defining trait either (see: 7.16-second 3-cone drill, 4.49-second short shuttle). He was able to overcome all that against Pac-12 and ACC competition, but the NFL is a different animal in that regard — a fact that might have a negative impact on his missed tackles numbers.

In addition, Martinez also offers little in the passing game. He does have 32 career catches on his résumé, but they have all come in the short game; his career average depth of target is only 1.0 yards past the line of scrimmage. Pass protection also is something he needs to work on. He is willing and had some encouraging moments, but there are the occasional leverage breakdowns and whiffs coupled with inconsistent reads.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? With the aforementioned Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson both on the roster, the Patriots have no need to turn Martinez into a high-volume player from the get-go. Instead, he would serve as a package back and third option in the rotation with his primary value on early downs. As such, he would primarily help take pressure of Stevenson and allow Gibson to focus more on passing game work.

What is his growth potential? His athletic profile might put a cap on his ceiling as a next-level running back, but Martinez still has what it takes to develop into a successful early-down player in the NFL. Whether or not he will ever have three-down value will depend on his growth in the passing game, particularly in regards to his alignment versatility.

Does he have positional versatility? Even though Martinez offers some scheme flexibility, he is not the most versatile of running backs. He is primarily an early-down option, as noted above, and also has little experience lining up outside of the backfield. His special teams contributions are a projection as well given that he played only five snaps in the game’s third phase in college.

Why the Patriots? Martinez is good at what he does and might have appeal to the Patriots as an early-down back to develop behind Rhamondre Stevenson. While there is no immediate indication the team is planning to move on with four years remaining on his deal, having a young contender in the fold might allow New England to hand the keys over after 2025 or, more realistically, 2026.

Why not the Patriots? The Patriots addressing their running back position in the draft seems like a foregone conclusion, but they might want a bit more versatility than what Martinez can offer. Even if that is in itself not a disqualifier, adding a pure receiving back rather than another early-down option could simply be higher on New England’s list of priorities.

One-sentence verdict: Martinez has the power and elusiveness you want in an NFL running back, and despite his shortcomings should be able to positively contribute right out of the gate.

What do you think about Damien Martinez as a potential Patriots target? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.