Lions Might Finally Move On From a Draft Pick That Just Didn’t Work Out
It’s that time of year again training camps are coming up, and teams are starting to figure out who’s making the 53-man roster. That means some tough decisions are on the way, especially for players on the bubble.
After a brutal season full of injuries, the Lions made sure to stack up on depth across the board. On the defensive line, they added rookies Tyleik Williams and Ahmed Hassanein, brought back Levi Onwuzurike, and signed Roy Lopez. With DJ Reader and Alim McNeill locked in as starters, that room is starting to feel pretty crowded.
And for Brodric Martin, that’s bad news.
Martin was a third-round pick in 2023 a big guy out of Western Kentucky who the Lions hoped would develop into a force on the D-line. At 6’5″ and 320 pounds, he had the size and raw potential, but two years in, he’s barely made an impact.
Through five games over two seasons, Martin has just four tackles and no other real stats to show for it. Injuries haven’t helped a knee issue kept him out for most of 2024 but even when healthy, he wasn’t doing enough to earn playing time. Late last season, he was mostly a healthy scratch.
GM Brad Holmes has even publicly called out Martin for not producing, which usually isn’t a great sign for a player trying to hold onto a roster spot.
At this point, unless Martin turns things around in a hurry, it looks like the Lions are ready to cut bait. They’ve got too much talent now to keep waiting around on a project that hasn’t panned out. In a 2023 draft class full of solid picks, Martin is looking like the rare big miss.
