Meet Damien Martinez, the Running Back of Mexican Descent to Watch During the NFL Draft
Miami running back Damien Martinez runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Damien Martinez, who is of Mexican descent, is one of the names to watch for the upcoming NFL Draft, which is set to take place April 24 to April 26 in Lambeau Field. The 21-year-old running back for the Miami Hurricanes previously played at Oregon State and had a pretty decent showing at the NFL combine, which has put him on the radar of some teams coming into the 2025 NFL draft.
Martinez isn’t a natural receiver, but he’s a solid running back who has improved as a receiver every year he has played, which means he is likely to get some attention as a backup. He’s also a very good contact back, which means he isn’t easy to stop, and he’ll get yards after the contact, something teams really like.
Projections have him as a fifth-rounder, at least, and there are expectations that he could grow into a starter. Running back is a position where a lot of teams are looking for depth, so Martinez is unlikely to stay on the board at the end of the draft.
His college career had plenty of highlights. He started slow in 2022, with only 340 yards and two touchdowns in his first seven games. But in his eighth game, he ran for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns in just 22 carries, proving he could carry his team to victory. He was named Pac-12 freshman of the year that week. Martinez would go on to finish that year with 982 rushing yards and seven TDS on 162 carries. In 2023, his numbers were even better: 1185 yards, 9 TDS in 191 carries, and 11 receptions. He’d only had 4 the year before.
In his last year, 2024, he rushed for 1,002 yards on 145 attempts for 9 touchdowns and 16 receptions. Those are all pretty solid numbers all around. Perhaps the most important thing to look for when it comes to Martinez? He was a three-year starter who remained relatively healthy in a position where teams really pay attention to that. He is big, and he has proven he can take the hits and continue running, and he’s almost certain to find a team come draft day. Now the question is, what time will that be?