It'd be unfair and arguably foolish to argue the San Francisco 49ers were going to hit on every single one of their picks in the 2025 NFL Draft despite having a larger-than-usual need to rely on an infusion of rookie talent in the wake of a turbulent offseason.
And, by several accounts, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are already getting some serious net-positive results from their first-year pros, particularly safety Marques Sigle and their top pick, defensive end Mykel Williams.
Yet there's one disappointing early draft pick who's clearly fallen well below expectations, linebacker Nick Martin.
Martin, selected in Round 3 at No. 75 overall out of Oklahoma State, was viewed as an aggressive, hard-hitting backer who could potentially replace the now-Denver Broncos' Dre Greenlaw alongside All-Pro Fred Warner. Plus, paired with the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, all signs seemed to point in the right direction for Martin's immediate impact.
Except that's been anything but the case.
49ers can already regret using Day 2 draft pick on Nick Martin
Hindsight being what it is, it'd be fair for the Niners to privately have regret over the Martin selection even if they're far from admitting it publicly.
This, for a few reasons.
Saleh already identified and has helped develop Greenlaw's pure replacement, third-year pro Dee Winters, who has taken a massive leap in his new role this season. This was evident during training camp where it was apparent Martin was nowhere close to seizing the opportunity to overtake Winters on the depth chart.
Then, during his preseason debut, Martin was wildly inconsistent and more of a liability than a bonus, regularly missing tackles and taking poor angles despite displaying his aggressiveness. Things improved a bit in preseason Week 2, yes, but it was abundantly clear he was underachieving.
If that wasn't bad enough, San Francisco's decision to keep the rookie inactive over his first two regular-season games should be, while veteran fringe backers like Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune and Curtis Robinson have all been given spots on the gameday roster instead.
That's not a great endorsement for Martin to date.
OK, so it's worth acknowledging Martin dealt with injuries his final collegiate season in 2024, limiting him to just five games played before going pro. And the 49ers have been patient with linebacker development under Saleh before, turning the likes of prospects such as Greenlaw and now-Houston Texans backer Azeez Al-Shaair into household names.
Still, given the plethora of needs the Niners have yet to fully address, one can't help but think they would have rather pivoted from targeting Martin and instead opted to select someone else when they were on the clock at No. 75 overall last April.