The Seattle Seahawks used a seventh-round pick on Miami running back Damien Martinez, but that doesn't necessarily mean Martinez is a lock to make Seattle's final roster.
Seattle already has a strong group of running backs, which could put Martinez on the roster bubble. Let's set the stage for what a roster battle will look like for the rookie running back.
Who is Seattle Seahawks running back Damien Martinez?
Damien Martinez began his college career at Oregon State, where he rushed for 982 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman. In his sophomore season, Martinez improved to 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns.
Following that season, Martinez hit the transfer portal rather than stay with the Beavers during their sojourn into the Mountain West-adjacent world of independence. He landed at Miami, where he got a chance to play with another Pac-12 refugee, former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward.
While Ward was the star of that team, Martinez was a key part of Miami's success, rushing 159 times for 1,002 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns. He also added 17 receptions for 204 yards.
Despite his production, Martinez fell in the NFL Draft, largely over concerns that he just doesn't have the foot speed needed in the NFL. He's a strong runner who can grind out extra yards with his physicality, but he can't escape defenders easily. It makes it a little tough to slot him into an NFL roster.
Why is Damien Martinez on the Seahawks roster bubble?
In the short term, Seattle was a pretty bad landing spot for Martinez, as the team has Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet at the top of the depth chart. That's a pretty good duo, and there's really no shot Martinez is going to be able to beat either player out.
So then, it just becomes a numbers game beyond that.
2023 seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh hasn't done much in the NFL, toting the ball just 31 times over his first two seasons, but he has experience in this system and, maybe more importantly, showed last year he could be a strong special teams contributor, playing 173 snaps in that area of the game, a good bit more than his 75 offensive snaps.
Seattle basically just went with three running backs last year. George Holani played five games with the team, but he spent most of the season on the practice squad, not signing to the active roster until late December after Walker was placed on Injured Reserve. Only three running backs made the initial 53-man roster.
Add in that the team used a fifth-round pick on fullback Robbie Ouzts, and you get the sense that Martinez has just one viable path to making the 53-man roster: beat McIntosh. That involves not just outperforming him in camp and the preseason as a runner, but also by proving he can be a key special-teams contributor as well.
Not a great situation to be in for Damien Martinez.