Nick Martin has big shoes to fill in replacing Dre Greenlaw. ESPN’s Field Yates believes Martin will make a substantial impact for the 49ers as a rookie
The San Francisco 49ers went all in on defense during the 2025 NFL Draft. Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins were the top two picks. Williams’s expectations are sky high, as FanDuel gives the Niners top pick the fourth-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
If Collins, Williams, and CJ West are doing their jobs, it means the players behind them are making plays. That was not the case along the defensive line last season. The 49ers are hoping their investments in the draft pay off.
If they do, we should see big things from another rookie, Nick Martin. We discussed what to expect from Martin as a rookie. Most linebackers would thrive in a role playing alongside Fred Warner. Most.
We saw Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair look like budding stars beside Warner. Will the same be true for Martin? He was selected five picks after Warner was in the ‘18 draft, suggesting the organization has high hopes for the former Oklahoma State linebacker.
ESPN’s Field Yates projected the top non-Round 1 rookies from the 2025 NFL Draft. Martin was listed as fifth on the defensive side:
5. Nick Martin, LB, San Francisco 49ers (No. 75)
The 49ers entered the draft with a need at one starting linebacker spot after Dre Greenlaw left in free agency, and Martin can fill it. He lacks ideal size at 6-foot and 197 pounds, but he makes up for it with electric speed and a fearless nature on every snap. Martin showed legitimate pass-rush instincts in 2023, too, with six sacks. And while he was injured for most of 2024, his 140 tackles in 2023 were the most by any Oklahoma State player since 1984.
The 49ers have shown that height and weight are not considered “traits” in their book. Style of play, speed, and versatility take priority. Yates highlights Martin’s ability to rush the passer. Blitzing and living around the ball give the Niners another weapon at the second level.
Martin’s impact will be felt in numerous ways — especially if the added beef upfront can keep him clean. Even if that’s not the case, Martin’s lack of regard for his body bodes well. He will run full speed into an offensive lineman, meeting them at two yards as opposed to waiting back at four yards. That’ll help Warner stay clean and allow him to scrape over the top and make plays near the line of scrimmage.
Greenlaw’s absence was felt as a blitzer, which is arguably Martin’s best trait. Dre blitzed 75 times from 2022 to 2023. He totaled ten pressures and hit the quarterback six times. That was missing next to Warner in 2024. It’s why Martin has the leg up on Dee Winters.
Greenlaw’s pressure percentage hovered between 13 and 14 percent during those two years. For his career, Martin was used extensively as a blitzer. Why? He produced. In 2023, Oklahoma State blitzed Martin 24 percent of the time. Those six sacks look great, but he pressured the quarterback one out of every four times, which is an insane amount of production. That chaos will inevitably lead to sacks, but Martin finished that season with 20 tackles for loss.
Martin’s 2024 season was cut short, but he actually had a higher pressure percentage (33%) and was on pass to have more tackles for loss — he had ten in limited action. Seeing how the Cowboys used Martin in college and how often the 49ers have blitzed the linebacker next to Warner in recent seasons, Martin could easily be the most impactful rookie on the roster.