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NFL Draft 2012: Should Jonathan Martin Be Selected By The Arizona Cardinals?

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Offensive tackles Jonathan Martin #54 and Cameron Fleming #73 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrate after the game with the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 29, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Stanford won 56-48 in three overtimes. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Now that we have moved from the pass rushers to offensive linemen for our NFL Draft series, we first decided to examine Riley Reiff to see how he could be a fit with the team. After reading his scouting report and some quick notes on him, about 74% of the voters believe he can be the future left tackle for the Arizona Cardinals if they opt to select him.

Today's player has been far more criticized than Reiff, even if he was apart of one of the better offensive lines in America along with arguably the best quarterback in college football. Jonathan Martin, a former Stanford Cardinal himself, protected Andrew Luck's blindside and was a three year starter at tackle. There is no doubt that because of the position he plays, someone will be looking to acquire his services in the first round of the draft.

The question is: should that team be the Arizona Cardinals?

If you recall, I put together a quick recap of Martin's Pro Day at Stanford. There is no doubting that he has the size and arm length (something that has many concerned about Reiff) to play tackle at a high level, but many worry about his lack of strength and inability to dominate at one single aspect of the game. He is a bit of a jack of all trades, but he has not mastered any portion of his game.

Dan Kadar over at Mockingthedraft.com put together a nice scouting report on Martin that should provide us with some clarity. Although he praises Martin for possessing adequate speed and athleticism, his strength seems to be called into question, especially after only putting up 20 reps of 225 pounds at his pro day.

Here are some of the other weaknesses that NFL.com pointed out regarding Martin as a tackle at the next level:

Martin has a tendency to pop upright on contact and get slightly off balance, usually when slanting in the run game. He isn't a real powerful or violent puncher, and at times his punches will slow his feet and he can get caught off guard. He isn't a quick-twitched mover off the snap and could have some issues against the league's best speed rushers.

So as I stated previously, Martin needs to work on his strength and polish off one part of his game. Although he is good at both run blocking and in pass protection, he still has plenty of room to improve.

Here is a quick highlight video of Martin's 2010 season:

After reading all of this and watching the highlight video, what are your thoughts on Martin being selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th overall pick? Would he be a selection based on him being the best player available or would the Cardinals be reaching for him because he fills a position of need?

Voice your opinion in the comments section below and vote in the poll.

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