With Day 2 of the draft winding down, the Lions addressed the position many figured they would address on Day 1.
Detroit traded back into the third round to take Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin No. 96 overall, sending a fourth-round pick (No. 122) and two fifth-rounders (Nos. 139 and 168) to Arizona to move up the board.
At 6'5, 337 lbs., Martin will give the Lions needed size and power on the interior of their defensive line. He had 31 tackles last season, 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits, his second at Western Kentucky. The 23-year-old spent his first three seasons at North Alabama.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein describes Martin as a "space-eating nose tackle" whose "size and length will be coveted by NFL teams." He was generally pegged as a sixth- or seventh-round pick, but Brad Holmes and the Lions clearly see more in him (and projections at this stage of the draft are flukey).
The addition of Martin completes Day 2 of the draft for the Lions, who also added tight end Sam LaPorta, defensive back Brian Branch and quarterback Hendon Hooker in the second round. In Martin, they may have found a rotational player on defense.
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