Getty Adrian Martinez throws a pass in a Kansas State game.
Adrian Martinez may face long odds in his bid to make the final 53-man roster of the Detroit Lions, but the undrafted free-agent quarterback got a little extra time to make an impression this week at OTAs.
The team met on June 12 for optional practices, which came a few days after the conclusion of last week’s mandatory minicamp. Though Martinez likely has a lot of work to do to climb the depth chart, he got the chance for extra reps as the only quarterback on the field for practice to start the week.
Rookie’s Opportunity
As Tim Twentyman and Mike O’Hara noted for the team’s official website, Martinez had the chance to show off as the only quarterback on the field for Monday’s practice as his competitors were either away or injured.
“Rookie quarterback Adrian Martinez got more practice time to show his skills,” the report noted. “He was the only healthy quarterback available. Veterans Jared Goff and Nate Sudfeld had departed with the other veterans, and rookie third-round draft pick Hendon Hooker is still recovering from a knee injury.”
The Lions signed Martinez in May after taking quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round of the NFL Draft. As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, Martinez had a middling tenure as Nebraska’s quarterback but turned heads in his final college season at Kansas State.
“His one year with the Wildcats opened up both his game and the NFL’s eyes,” Risdon wrote. “In K-State’s overhauled offense, Martinez found a better balance between his aggressive tendencies and making better decisions with the ball. He improved his pocket presence and patience, putting more trust in his line and his receivers than he ever demonstrated at Nebraska.”
The improvement was enough to earn Martinez some draft buzz, and ultimately a contract with the Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Fight to Make Lions Roster
Martinez comes into OTAs as the No. 4 quarterback on the depth chart, behind starter Goff and backup Sudfeld. The rookie Hooker is entering what head coach Dan Campbell called a “redshirt” season as he continues to rehab an ACL tear, but NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal believes the former Tennessee quarterback can challenge for the starting job as early as next season.
“The Lions needed to upgrade their backup quarterback situation and did so with third-round pick Hendon Hooker,” Rosenthal wrote. “Give Hooker a year before he’s challenging Jared Goff for playing time.”
Martinez will likely be competing for a spot on the practice squad as he continues to learn and adjust to the NFL. But as Risdon noted, Martinez could eventually give the Lions a dual-threat quarterback if he’s able to sort out his accuracy issues.
“Martinez offers a lot of running ability,” Risdon wrote. “He accelerates quickly and has natural wiggle, power, and vision as a runner. He isn’t a threat to throw once he starts running, however. The 4.55 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine is legit and translates to the field. The 23-year-old rushed for over 500 yards in all five of his college seasons.”
