Hogs Haven takes a look at 2023 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Jartavius Martin, DB
School: Illinois | Conference: Big Ten
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 5’11” / 194 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd-4th Round
Player Comparison: Jalen Pitre
College Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2018 | Illinois | Big Ten | FR | DB | 9 | 25 | 19 | 44 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2019 | Illinois | Big Ten | SO | DB | 8 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | Illinois | Big Ten | JR | DB | 8 | 25 | 13 | 38 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2021 | Illinois | Big Ten | JR | DB | 12 | 33 | 23 | 56 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2022 | Illinois | Big Ten | SR | DB | 13 | 51 | 13 | 64 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Career | Illinois | 148 | 77 | 225 | 10.5 | 1.0 | 7 | 19 | 2.7 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||||
Player Overview
Jartavius “Quan” Martin hails from Florida where he was a three-star recruit that committed to Illinois over Air Force, Central Michigan, FIU, and Georgia Southern. Martin earned the opportunity to start for the Illini in his first two games as a freshman at cornerback, only the second true freshman to do so (Vontae Davis). He would go on to start eight games as a freshman in 2018 and was second on the team in interceptions. He would bounce in and out of Illinois’ starting lineup in his first three seasons, but he became a fixture at starter in 2021. In 2022, Martin moved from cornerback to the “star” – hybrid safety/linebacker – for the Illini defense. Martin was a standout the entire season, having his most productive year and earning All-Big Ten honors.
Strengths
- Twitchy athlete
- Has understanding of spacing and assignments in zone coverage
- In man coverage, has the footwork and agility to stay in phase
- Gears up when the ball is in the air
- Runs the alley to make plays in backfield
- Speed helps him beat ball carriers to the perimeter
- Willing tackler that often evades blockers
Weaknesses
- Less than ideal size limits some effectiveness as tackler
- Tends to take false steps and tries to make up for them with his athleticism
- Ball production would be better if he had more reliable hands
- Misplays ball in the air occasionally
- Aggressiveness in man coverage can lead to being beat by double moves
Let’s see his work
The more I watch Illinois S Jartavius Martin, the more I fall in love. Illinois DB coaches should level up to the NFL – they keep rolling out dawgs from college into the pros. #NFLDraft #Jets pic.twitter.com/Fdpa62SNr7
— Dom C (@DC_NYJets) March 20, 2023
Nice job on this play by Jartavius Martin (#21) in reading the WR screen immediately and getting over, and tackling Reed for a minimal gain. pic.twitter.com/fYdeDy3dGZ
— Brian Maafi (@Bmaafi) April 5, 2023
Former Illinois DB Jartavius Martin has a top-30 visit w/ the Commanders coming up, per source.
Martin’s hand-on-ball percentage (2.2%) is tops among safeties, and his time in the slot (64%) is the 2nd-highest, behind only Brian Branch (73%), per @football_sis.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 7, 2023
Jartavius Martin is going to be a star in the NFL@MathBomb pic.twitter.com/bc8aYVAcma
— Zack Patraw (@NFL_Zack) March 4, 2023
How he fits on the Commanders
If there is one thing the Commanders seem to value in its secondary, it’s versatility. Just about every contributor on the backend of the defense can play at least two positions. Jartavius Martin would definitely fit in with his ability to play near the line of scrimmage, cover in the slot, or drop into deep coverage. With the departure of Bobby McCain, the starting slot corner position is up for grabs. Martin would be competing with cornerbacks like Danny Johnson and possibly a safety like Percy Butler to play that role. If he needs time before he’s ready to start, Martin could provide depth at a few different positions. Martin has things to improve to reach his potential, but he could provide the type of flexibility the Commanders covet on defense.