Mike Martin

Michael Brendan Martin (born September 1, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 2008 to 2011. At Michigan, Martin recorded 172 tackles and appeared in 49 games, including 37 games as the Wolverines' starting nose tackle. He was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference player by both the coaches and media in 2011 and received the same recognition from the coaches in 2010. In high school, he was the state Gatorade Player of the Year in football. He was also a two-time Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state wrestling champion as well as a two-time MHSAA state shot put champion.

Early life Martin attended Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi, Michigan, where he was a multi-sport athlete competing in football, wrestling and track and field. In football, he recorded 206.5 tackles for Catholic Central and was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan for 2007. He was also a two-time state champion in the shot put, and his 2008 throw of 63 feet, 9 inches came within three inches of breaking the all-time state record set by T. J. Duckett.

College career Martin at the 2009 Fan Appreciation Day during his college days. Martin had been a fan of Michigan football since childhood and gave his oral commitment to head coach Lloyd Carr during an official visit in 2007. When Carr retired after the 2007 season, Martin withdrew his oral commitment and was heavily recruited by both Notre Dame and Michigan State. Martin renewed his commitment to Michigan in January 2008. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said, "I don't know if I've ever had a true freshman defensive lineman, I guess, as Division I ready as Mike has been. He's going to keep getting better, so we're excited about him." At the start of the 2010 football season, Martin said he felt 110% following the surgery and added, "It feels good to play healthy." In 2010, Michigan linebacker Craig Roh said of Martin:"Mike Martin is just an animal out there. He's the strongest person I've ever seen in the weight room. It's really showing on the field. He's taking on double teams. (Against Massachusetts), I think the play he sacked the quarterback, he beat a double team and sacked him. Which is — stupid."

Following the 2010 season, Martin was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference player by the coaches and received an honorable mention from the media.

As a senior in 2011, Martin had a career-high 64 tackles, including a career-high 10 tackles against Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl. He was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten player by both the coaches and the media after the 2011 season. Martin recorded 172 career tackles at Michigan.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Martin was one of 30 defensive tackles and 58 defensive linemen that participated in the February 2012 NFL Scouting Combine. He ranked in the top four among defensive tackles in all six events. His 36 repetitions in the bench press ranked second among defensive tackles, and third at the entire combine (behind Michigan teammate David Molk who was second with 41). His 40-yard dash time of 4.88 ranked third among defensive tackles. His standing long jump distance of ranked first among defensive tackles, He ranked third among defensive tackles with a 3 cone drill with a time of 7.19, He was second among defensive tackles in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.25,

Tennessee Titans Martin was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round (82nd overall pick) of the 2012 NFL draft. Martin was the first player from the Michigan Wolverines to be selected in the 2012 Draft. He is one of three Michigan Wolverines and 41 Big Ten players drafted. After being selected by the Titans, Martin said: "Actually, I have really good family friends that live in Tennessee and in Nashville, so I've gotten a taste of Nashville a little bit, and I'm excited to explore it a little bit more—get to know the city and the people." Titans general manager Ruston Webster said of Martin: "He is what you want in a nose tackle. He is tough as nails, a grinder. He doesn't mind doing the dirty work and he brings the kind of mentality we want in our defense." On October 2, Martin was fined $15,750 for hitting Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

Philadelphia Eagles On April 26, 2016, Martin signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. On August 28, Martin was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.