49ers third-round pick Nick Martin broke his thumb, but won't need surgery
San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Nick Martin suffered a thumb fracture a few weeks ago, but did not miss any subsequent practices or workouts, a source familiar with the injury told the Chronicle.
Martin, the team's third-round pick, won't need surgery and is expected to be fully healthy by training camp in July.
After star offensive tackle Trent Williams said in a YouTube video that Martin had broken his thumb during a workout, many 49ers fans on social media assumed the worst. Martin had missed most of his final season at Oklahoma State with a knee injury that likely affected his drafted stock. Pro Football Focus ranked Martin, an All-Big 12 first-team selection in 2023, as the 307th prospect on its big board.
The 49ers selected him at No. 75, a vote of confidence by general manager John Lynch, who compared Martin to Dre Greenlaw for his 'run-and-hit' style and similarly long arms as an otherwise undersized linebacker. At 6-foot and 221 pounds, Martin's arms were measured during the NFL Combine at 31 ¾ inches, only a half-inch shorter than Greenlaw.
'Just our type of player all over,' Lynch said in a press conference after Day 2 of the draft. 'Swarms to the football and you feel him on the field. Not the biggest guy but has long arms that kind of mimics Dre in a lot of ways. That's high praise and he's got a long way to go to show that he can be like that.'
Martin, 22, appears in line to compete with linebacker Dee Winters for early playing time next to All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.
'I thought they were the dynamic duo,' Martin said of Warner and Greenlaw. 'And being able to come in and be that piece, it's going to be a fun thing for me.'
While at Oklahoma State, Martin proved adept as a blitzer with sideline-to-sideline speed to be disruptive, a credit to his notable athleticism. At this year's combine, Martin ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, did 26 bench-press reps and recorded a 38-inch vertical jump.
'I'm very athletic — I like to use that to my advantage,' Martin said after being drafted. 'I'm relentless, with the way I always go for the kill shot, with maximum effort or punishing the person with the ball. Just figuring out ways to change the tone of the game.'
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