Why Damien Martinez is the Seahawks’ biggest steal in the 2025 draft

The former Oregon State and Miami running back fell to the seventh round, much to the benefit of the Seahawks. Let’s look at what makes Martinez a talented player.

Damien Martinez in the seventh round was arguably the Seattle Seahawks’ best value pick in the entire NFL Draft. Martinez was considered in the third or fourth round and fell into the Seahawks’ lap in the seventh round, for no apparent reason.

That doesn’t mean he was the team’s best pick, or that he’ll be an excellent player; he might not even make the roster. But, looking at the projections and where he actually ended up, he was the Seahawks’ best value pick.

In 2023, the Seahawks also selected a RB in the seventh round, Kenny McIntosh, who was considered to be going earlier and fell due to poor timing in the forty-yard dash. He ended up not having much room, but Martinez has a chance to do something different.

Who is Damien Martinez?

Damien Martinez started at Lewisville High School weighing 180 lbs. By his sophomore year he had gained weight to 215 lbs. and began to excel. He also excelled in track and field (sprints and relays) and set a personal best of 11.37 seconds in the 100 meters.

He arrived in college as a 3-star prospect, receiving offers from Kansas, Georgia Tech, San Diego State, and Texas State. Finally, he received an offer from Oregon State and developed a good relationship with head coach Jonathan Smith. In 2024, Smith left the Beavers to take over at Michigan State and that led Damien Martinez to enter the Transfer Portal, choosing Miami after visiting Arizona, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M.

The 21-year-old Martinez has received the following honors:

• Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2022);
• All-Pac-12 First Team; AP All-Pac-12 First Team; Doak Walker Award Semifinalist (2023);
• All-ACC, Honorable Mention (2024);

In 38 games, he rushed for 3,169 yards and 26 TDs on 514 carries (6.2 average); he also had 32 receptions for 391 yards.

Comparison to former Seahawks

When Martinez was drafted and fans started watching his highlights, some started to relate him to a former Seahawks player, due to his physical style and tackle-breaking style. The comparisons were to Marshawn Lynch and I don’t think they’re fair. However, it is easy to compare him to another Seahawk, also chosen in the seventh round:

• Chris Carson 6’0”, 218lbs, 4.58s in 40 yds, 37” vertical, 10’10” broad;
• Damien Martinez 6’0”, 217lbs 4.51s in 40 yds35” vertical 10’4” broad;

Neither has elite top-speed, but both play with great physicality, break tackles and fight until the end of the play. It was a great shame that Chris Carson retired early.

Looking for connections with the University of Miami, we have more to see. In the recent past, we have chosen three RBs from Miami: Travis Homer (2019), DeeJay Dallas (2020) and now Martinez. Martinez was the lowest pick of the three and the one with the best potential with a large upside.

Him being available in the seventh round is basically a glitch in the Matrix

It’s not uncommon for what happened to Martinez to happen. A prospect projected to go early, to be left out for so long in the draft. Here are some fantastic numbers that support the thesis that he should go early:

• Highest success rate on 3rd/4th down short in the FBS (93.8%);
• Highest success rate when contacted behind the LOS in this class (30.0%);
• 4.4 yards after contact, #2 in the class, behind only Ashton Jeanty;
• 4.51 yards after contact per attempt, #2 in the class, behind only Ashton Jeanty, again;
• Only 8.2% of his runs were stuffed, #1 in the class;
• 6.7 YPC on runs between the tackles, #2 in the class;
• 37% of his runs resulted in a first down, #3 in the class;

How does a player with such good numbers fall into the seventh round?

As mentioned, this is not uncommon. Some prospects fall out due to a history of injuries, advanced age, doubts about their fit with the NFL, personality issues, off-field issues, or poor numbers at a Combine or Pro Day.

The only thing I could find is that in 2023 he was suspended from the Bowl while still playing at Oregon State, at age 19. This raises a question for teams, but it would not justify him falling so far in the Draft, since the charges were not pursued. Several other players were drafted early on more serious charges.

He was suspended on November 30, 2023, one day after being arrested in Corvallis, Oregon, on suspicion of driving under the influence. But the Benton County District Attorney opted not to file charges against the sophomore from Lewisville, Texas.

“Due to the District Attorney’s decision not to file DUI or similar charges against Damien Martinez, he will be eligible to participate in the upcoming Bowl game,” Oregon State University athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement.

On Nov. 29, Corvallis police pulled over 19-year-old Martinez for allegedly running a red light and charged him with DUI and reckless driving. Martinez was also cited for possession of marijuana as a minor, since he was under 21. He acknowledged the arrest in a post on X, writing that he “made a mistake.”

Great addition to the running game

Martinez has remarkable vision, as well as fantastic balance on the ball, and is consistently gaining yards after contact.

His physical build hides quickness, agility and amazing change-of-direction skills.

Normally RBs labeled as “power backs” like Martinez don’t have this elusiveness.

He combines his quickness with his game vision to quickly identify running lanes, as well as anticipate defenders at all three levels.

His game vision and agility also allow him to identify quick cut lanes and exploit them.

He brings the No. 20 to the A gap on the right side of the offense and leaves him at an angle for his center to block. With that, he makes the cut to the left and gets a good run.

The RB also needs to help his OL. Note that if Martinez were more aggressive in his run, the OL would not be able to get to block the defender. Martinez waits and allows the OL to have a good angle and open the way for his run. He also finishes the play with physicality towards the safety.

A player who understands the concepts of zone and gap very well, he knows how and where the run should develop. The RB must “escape” from MIKE in duo runs and that is exactly what he does.

Doesn’t offer much as a third-down RB

Apparently he tried a chip-block to help his OT, but he failed badly in the execution.

He gets thrown to the ground and gives in to immediate pressure against a second-level player. This shows his inability to help against defensive linemen.

He processes the right person to block, but notice that his feet are not positioned correctly to block the blitzer. The result is that he loses the block and gives in to pressure.

He has good hands, but he doesn’t have much experience running routes and this reflects in his production (lack thereof). The RB only had 32 receptions, 391 passing yards and no receiving TDs.

Final Thoughts

As a pure runner, Martinez would easily beat Kenny McIntosh on the depth chart. With Kenneth Walker struggling to stay healthy and entering the final year of his contract, the team has brought in a replacement with a lot of potential.

Martinez has plenty of experience in both gap and zone schemes. Despite not having much speed, he is a tackle-breaking machine and has an elusiveness rarely seen in someone his size.

What could count against him is the fact that he is not a good pass protector. This could mean he doesn’t have many chances on third downs. Another point is that he didn’t play on special teams in college. Experience in this third phase of the game can be a big difference-maker in deciding who stays and who goes, and the key for rookies is to be able to stay on the roster.