Draft Dreamer: Chandler Martin

A new league champion has been crowned and the calendar has officially rolled over to 2025. With free agency and the draft coming at us fast, this is the chance for all teams to reset and fans to renew their hopes. If you have followed my work,  you know this is my favorite time of year and it’s never too early to start breaking down NFL Draft prospects. This class is packed with players who will make an impact at the next level. I will cover each of them from the big dudes in the trenches to the erasers patrolling the secondary. Let’s get started with a prospect who everyone should have very high on their draft boards, linebacker Chandler Martin of the Memphis Tigers.

The Background

Chandler Martin was a two-star recruit at linebacker for the Arabia Mountain Rams in Lithonia, Georgia. As a senior Martin recorded 109 total tackles, with 14 being TFLs. For that season he posted nine games with 12+ tackles and led the team in carries & rushing touchdowns. He was twice named All-Dekalb County 1st team (18’-19’) and was named the 5AAAAA Runner-Up Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. As a junior for the Rams, he registered 84 total tackles and six TFLs in 11 games. Martin would see some early time as a freshman, playing 4 games, with 16 total tackles and one TFL. He would finish his Rams career with 209 tackles and 21 TFLs. Martin only received six offers and ETSU was the biggest and where he chose to continue his football career.

Martin’s college career would start during the Covid year (2020). As a freshman, he would play in just four games with three total tackles. The following year, he would once again play in four games with just three tackles. Seeing his career not start the way he wanted, he felt it was best to make a fresh start and entered the transfer portal. He would land on the opposite end of the state with the Memphis Tigers. That move along with a rededication to the sport proved to be the right decision and transformation into the player that we see today.

At Memphis, Martin played two seasons for the Tigers where he was one of their top defenders. As a red-shirt sophomore (23’) he played and started 13 games, with 95 total tackles, 66 solo stops, 69.4% solo rate, 17 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions, one that he returned 60 yards for a touchdown, four PBUs, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Martin’s totals in tackles, TFLs, sacks, and forced fumbles all led the team. He would also rank in the top 20 nationally in both solo tackles (5.1 per game) (18th nationally) and TFLs (17th nationally). Martin would help lead the Tigers to a 10-3 record and a win in the Liberty Bowl while earning All-AAC 1st Team honors.

Martin would follow up that breakout campaign with his best season in collegiate football. The red-shirt junior linebacker would be named to the watchlist for the Butkus, Bednarik, & Bronco Nagurski awards. Martin played and started all 13 games for the Tigers with 111 total tackles, 59 solo tackles, 53.1% solo rate, 16 TFLs, seven sacks, one interception, five PBUs, one forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries. He would record five games with ten plus tackles with a career-best of 17 in the final game of the season versus West Virginia. Martin would lead the team and rank in the Top 5 of the AAC in tackles, solo stops, TFLs, sacks, and fumble recoveries. How he wasn’t named to the All-AAC defensive team is a mystery.

Graham decided to forgo his senior year and declare for the draft as an underclassman. With that, he leaves the University of Memphis with 26 games played and started, 206 total tackles (7.92 per game), 125 solo stops, 60.6% solo rate. 33 TFLs, ten sacks, three interceptions, nine PBUs, three forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. His grades on my IDP Rookie Draft Grade spreadsheet are top of the class with a BCR (Blue Chip Rating) of 17.652, Impact Score of 10.384, and BPR (Big Play Score) score of 2.384. For context, they are comparable to that of Payton Wilson of NC State in last year's draft. 

Player Breakdown

Martin is a three-level player with high grades in speed, physicality, and instincts. He is on the smaller side height-wise (5’11”) of what the NFL likes, but carries his weight (233 lbs) extremely well. Martin was an eraser for Memphis as a sideline-to-sideline defender who can close off angles and shit down runs to the outside. His instincts and play recognition give him a major advantage before the snap and his preparation and trust in what he sees makes him a player you must account for. Martin’s physicality and willingness to play down in the box is a problem for offenses. When taking on blocks, he plays violently at the point of attack and does a great job of stacking and shedding offensive linemen.

He has has smooth feel for the game and combined with his football IQ, he’s a behind-the-line scrimmage playmaker. When finishing plays he does so with physicality and the mindset of forcing turnovers. This was on display at the Senior Bowl where he showcased his reaction time and aggressiveness on run plays. When asked to drop in coverage, Martin can more than hold his own despite the lack of height and length. He shows good closing speed, is always around the ball, and again looks to make the big play or force a turnover. Martin is a player who gives elite-type effort and can do whatever is asked of him. He has some limitations (height/length) and needs some polishing in a few areas, but he’s more than capable of being a solid NFL linebacker.

NFL & Fantasy Projection

Martin made the jump from Div-II to Div-I with a seamless transition and I believe he can make that same type of transition to the NFL. We’ll have to see how much he gets knocked for his lack of height and length but I firmly believe when teams see his film and how he tests at pro day, they will find a spot for him. An athletic off-ball linebacker who will have to outwork the bigger names but a player I would trust as much as any linebacker in this class. There is a lot of bad linebacker play in the NFL, so Martin will get a chance to prove his worth. He’ll start out as a backup/special teams option but the growth and potential of his game to be good is there.

I firmly believe that Martin is a Top 150 player in this class but where he’ll be drafted is another thing. His draft stock is gaining steam after a good showing at the Senior Bowl and should continue to trend up after teams watch his film and him in person at the Memphis pro day. As long as everything checks out I could see Martin going as high as maybe the 4th round if a team really falls in love with him. With that said, I believe he will be selected at a safer value in the 5th or 6th rounds. A talented player who has overachieved and will continue to.

Chandler Martin as an IDP rookie, is a stock that I am looking to really target in my rookie drafts. Of course, it depends on the size of my leagues but in the deeper/larger roster leagues, I like the idea of grabbing him somewhere in the late 3rd or early 4th round. Knowing that he’ll most likely be on my bench or taxi squad, causes me to pump the brakes on selecting him any earlier. Martin is a terrific player and some team is going to get a steal in this draft when they pick him. Keep an eye on his draft stock and do some investigative work in your leagues to see how your league mates feel about him. If he’s not on their radar or being hyped then that allows you to wait and not overreach for him in rookie drafts.

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy