Commanders Got 'Conviction Guys' in Quan Martin and Ricky Stromberg

Defensive back Jartavius "Quan" Martin and offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg were targets for the Washington Commanders heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.

Sometimes you just know. 

It's tough to explain or put into words, but you know when you see it. 

Defensive back Jartavius "Quan" Martin and offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg prompted those feelings for multiple people throughout the Washington Commanders organization. In the most recent episode of Commanders Log, Eric Stokes, Washington's senior director of player personnel, said he felt Martin would be a good fit and made that known to people in the organization.  

"You get to that place where you know," Stokes said. "It's beyond your gut. It's beyond what you can tangibly put something on. It's just something inside of you where you know that this guy is going to fit well for the room and that's exactly how for me, personally, that I felt about him and certainly conveyed that to working with the rest of the guys." 

Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew even inquired about trading up to No. 44 with the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 47 and No. 150 picks, but head coach Ron Rivera wanted to stay put with the Illinois defensive back still available. 

Tim Gribble, the Commanders' director of college personnel, said that everyone throughout the organization felt strongly about Martin and taking him with the No. 47 overall pick. 

"Quan was a conviction guy for us," Gribble said. "A conviction guy for the scouts, a conviction guy for the coaching staff, [and] a conviction guy for our analytics department. So when we had the opportunity to get him, we were all just fired up."

In his senior season at Illinois, Martin led the team with 64 tackles. He also had three interceptions, three tackles for loss, and 11 pass breakups. He was also 22nd in the nation and third in the Big Ten with 14 passes defended. 

Martin was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the media and third team by the coaches. 

With Martin, Washington is getting a guy that can do a little bit of everything for the defense, which will make a strong unit more versatile.

"He can cover in man coverage, zone, zone instincts, he's got ball skills, [and] he's a really good tackler," Gribble said. "So for me, he was the one. He was the most complete guy." 

Stromberg, who played at Arkansas, was someone the Commanders had their eye on before he was draft eligible. He first caught Stokes and Gribble's eye a year ago. 

Gribble visited Arkansas to look at another offensive lineman, and a Razorbacks coach told him that Stromberg was the guy he should be looking at.

"The guy you really need to keep your eye on is Ricky," Gribble recalled the coach telling him. '"He runs the show for us. He's smart, he's tough, he has a grit about him that you're going to love.' He was one of their glue guys. We're hoping he's going to be a glue guy for us."  

For offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Stokes and Gribble, Stromberg's IQ set him apart. Rivera also said that he loved Stromberg when he visited the team. He was also described as a conviction pick once Washington's pick at No. 97 came around. 

Stromberg started 44 games for the Razorbacks, including 25 straight to end his collegiate career. He won the SEC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which is given to the best offensive lineman in the conference. 

He was also named to the named First-Team All-SEC team by multiple news outlets and was credited with not allowing a sack or quarterback hit in 2022. 

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