Like the vast majority of NFL draft prospects, Blake Martinez had no idea where he would begin his pro career. His dad, Marc, stocked up on team hats and T-shirts “just in case,” Blake said.
Father, like son, prepares for every conceivable scenario.
But Blake’s mom had a feeling. Call it mother’s intuition.
Carrisa Martinez had a hunch that her son — the former Canyon del Oro High School and Stanford standout — would land in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And so it came to pass Saturday morning.
The Packers picked the instinctive inside linebacker in the fourth round, using the 131st selection to shore up an area of need.
Martinez could only chuckle afterward. Mom knew best.
“Obviously it was just a lucky-guess type of thing,” Martinez told Green Bay reporters. “It’s just funny. My mom said right after, ‘Moms are always right.’ I’ll take it.”
Martinez played inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme at Stanford, the same alignment used by Green Bay. The Packers had been seeking reinforcements at inside linebacker, which the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described as “the position considered by some to be the biggest weakness on the roster.”
The Packers at times have resorted to using Clay Matthews at inside linebacker. Matthews is a natural outside ’backer. If Martinez develops, it could enable Green Bay to keep Matthews at the spot where he’s at his best.
Asked if he envisioned himself as a starter, Martinez said, “Right now I’m just looking forward to going in there, learning the playbook, learning about Packer history, doing whatever they need me to do.”
At a minimum, Martinez should be a core special-teams player from Day 1. That’s how he began his college career before developing into a starter and All-Pac-12 performer.
“He can run, he’s physical, he’s smart, he can pick up different schemes,” Stanford coach David Shaw said earlier in the week. “He’s a tough, tough customer.”
Packers general manager Ted Thompson believes Martinez possesses the requisite skills to play in coverage in the NFL. He took on a greater role in that area during his senior season at Stanford.
“We think so,” Thompson told reporters. “He’s done so in the past. He has those kind of athletic traits and times.
“There’s more pressure on linebackers (nowadays) because offenses around the league are attacking linebackers more. You have to have more of a skill set. And the skill set would involve quickness, extraordinary speed, instincts. In days gone by, you didn’t necessarily have to have all of those things. Now I think you have to have all of those things.”
Martinez was among the best-testing linebackers at February’s NFL scouting combine. He ranked second in the three-cone drill (6.98 seconds), tied for third in the 20-yard shuttle (4.20), tied for fifth in the bench press (22 reps), and ranked 11th in the 40-yard dash (4.71).
Despite piling up big numbers as a two-way player at Canyon del Oro, Martinez did not receive a scholarship offer from then-Arizona coach Mike Stoops. Only after Rich Rodriguez arrived in December 2011 did the UA express serious interest in Martinez. By then, he was committed to Stanford. In keeping with his philosophy on life, Martinez has no regrets.
“I don’t think my opportunity at Stanford would have happened if they had offered me earlier,” Martinez said. “I just go with the saying that everything happens for a reason.”
Martinez was part of a Pac-12-heavy draft for the Packers. Green Bay spent four of its seven picks on players from the league.
