Lions' Brodric Martin Motivated by Memory of Older Brother

Lions rookie defensive lineman Brodric Martin uses memory of older brother as motivation on field.

Lions rookie defensive tackle Brodric Martin, one of Detroit's two third-round selections this year (No. 96 overall), plays with an extra source of motivation every single time he takes the field.

Martin's older brother, Brandon, passed away from leukemia on Oct. 14, 2021.

"He was like probably the father figure I never had," Martin told reporters after being drafted. "To be honest with you, I wasn’t real close with my father. So, he was my protector, he was the person I go to. He was my right-hand man, and it was his time. He got called up, so that’s – he’s my everything, he’s my motivation."

On Day 2 of the 2023 draft, Lions general manager Brad Holmes dealt three picks to move up to select the Western Kentucky product: a fourth-rounder (No. 122 overall) and two fifth-rounders (No. 139 overall and No. 168 overall).

Martin, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound defensive tackle, played a total of five collegiate seasons, with the first three coming at North Alabama. He then transferred to Western Kentucky for his final two years.

In 28 career games with the Hilltoppers, he logged 62 total tackles, including six for loss, along with four sacks and three passes defensed.

Additionally, he earned honorable mention All-Conference USA honors as a senior in 2022, and received an invite to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl.

Although he flew under the radar as a small-school prospect out of Western Kentucky, Holmes and Detroit's front office saw enough from him on film and at his pro day to warrant taking the space-eating lineman.

“He just has a lot of physical traits that get you really excited about his upside," Holmes said of Martin. "I’m not sure of like his testing numbers and all that stuff. This guy’s a big man, but he moves a lot better on film. He had a really good pro day. His workout was good. It’s hard to find big, athletic guys like that. He just has, like we said, a lot of meat on the bones. He’s got a lot of upside.

"He’s a big man, he’s athletic, he plays hard, he chases to the ball. I don’t think I’ve seen many 330, 340-pound guys run to the ball like he does. So, when you get that – he’s got some rawness, but we’re really excited about his upside.”

Martin, to his credit, was also able to connect with Lions head coach Dan Campbell during his pre-draft visit to the Motor City.

"He (Campbell) told me that what I got, what I bring to the table, is something that the organization is high on," Martin expressed. "Like I’ve been through a lot. I started at North Alabama, went to Western Kentucky and they seen how I fight. And, he said that’s the Lions' pride, basically, that’s what they do. They want somebody to come in and fight and all that. So, just talking with them, he gave me a sense of confidence. I love talking to him."

Holmes and Campbell are evidently high on Martin, which bodes well for the big man as he prepares for his rookie season.

Expect Martin to serve as a rotational defensive lineman, and to line up primarily at nose tackle, during his debut campaign in Detroit.