Nick Martin Runs Fifth Fastest Forty Among LBers, Martin and Oliver at NFL Combine
For Oklahoma State linebackers Nick Martin and Collin Oliver it is all over except the bench press and checking out from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Leading up to the field testing position drills for the two Cowboys standouts, each a former All-Big 12 player at one point in their careers and for Oliver, he was a freshman All-American. Both players missed most of their final season in Stillwater this past fall with injuries. Oliver was out with a foot injury after the week two win over Arkansas and Martin missed everything after the fourth game at Kansas State. Both players recovered performed well during the week and in the Reese’s Senior Bowl game. Both made the decision to workout at the Combine and in the end it was the right decision.
After a week of seminars and orientations, physicals and orthopedic exams, and then at night the interviews with various NFL teams going at 15 minute intervals. It is like a massive speed dating session as NFL coaches, scouts, and front office executives try to probe the personalities of the all the players seeing which ones they like the most.
Here are Martin’s and Oliver’s measurements and testing results side-by-side.
| Player | Ht. | Wt. | Arm | Hand | Vertical | Broad | 40 time | 10-yard split |
| Nick Martin | 5-11.5 | 221 | 31.5” | 9.25” | 38” | 10’3” | 4.53 | 1.54 |
| Collin Oliver | 6-2 | 240 | 30.75” | 9.5” | 39” | 10’6” | 4.56 | 1.57 |
It is even more impressive when you look at how the Oklahoma State pair did among their peers at linebacker. It was hard to tell initially as Oliver is listed in the NFL Combine roster and on NFL.com as a defensive end/edge and that is where his testing results are. He did actually test with the linebackers. Also, those are the official forty times for both players.
All players that run and test in the forty, run it twice. NFL Network had Nick Martin running a 4.53 and then 4.55. Collin Oliver ran a 4.56 and 4.6 according to the NFL Network clock. They did not show the vertical jump or the borad jump.
Neither Martin or Oliver did the three cone drill or the 20-yard shuttle. They will likely do those at the Big 12 Pro Day in Frisco, Texas on March 18-21.
| Top Performers 40 times | Time | Top 10-yard Splits | Time | Top Vertical Jumps | Ht. | Top Broad Jumps | Distance |
| Kain Medrano, UCLA | 4.46 | Eugene Asanta, Auburn | 1.52 | Teddye Buchanan, Cal. | 40” | Smael Mondon Jr., UGA | 10’10” |
| Eugene Asanta, Auburn | 4.48 | Smael Mondon Jr., UGA | 1.52 | Carson Schwesinger, UCLA | 39.5” | Jihaad Campbell, Ala. | 10’7” |
| Jihaad Campbell, Alabama | 4.52 | Jihaad Campbell, Ala. | 1.53 | Collin Oliver, OSU | 39” | Collin Oliver, OSU | 10’6” |
| Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma | 4.52 | Nick Martin, OSU | 1.54 | Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon | 38.5” | Teddye Buchanan, Cal. | 10’5” |
| Nick Martin, Oklahoma State | 4.53 | Danny Stutsman, OU | 1.55 | Nick Martin, OSU | 38” | Kain Medrano, UCLA | 10’5” |
Nick Martin was sixth in the broad jump among linebackers as he jumped 10 feet and 3 inches.
Then after testing the players did their position drills led by NFL position coaches from around the league.
Nick Martin looked good on all of the drills. He was very quick on the wave drill and exploded whan directed to go back and then come forward and make the catch. The catches aren’t always easy as Demetrius Knight Jr. of South Carolina caught one with his nose and eye socket.
Back to Martin, he was excellent on the four bag agility drill, looking down only twice and he reportedly checked in with a good time. He was especially smooth on the shuttle, sprint, and change of direction drill. he caught every pass thrown to him. He was okay on the pass rush drill where you swim and bend with the bags. His back pedal was as good as any and he finished with another catch.
Oliver was solid on drills. Let’s start with his best. He was as good as any, maybe the best looking linebacker on the pass rush drill. We know that is a talent for him, rushing the quarterback, and he looked charged up. At the end of that drill it appeared that Oliver pulled up a little. He was slow and careful on the final drill that came after the pass rush. It was the back pedal and react and he was cautious.
He was very smooth int he early drills and like Martin, Oliver caught every ball that was thrown at him. He looked completely comfortable on the four bag agility drill and I can tell you from watching him in so many practices at OSU that he has always been good on the bag drills.
Again, both players will have exit meetings on Friday and then Friday morning can test on the bench press or they can do that in Frisco at the Big 12 Pro Day as well.
Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II is going through his early stages at the Combine and the field work for the running backs is with the quarterbacks and wide receivers on Saturday, March 1.