Notre Dame’s Zach Martin Drafted by Dallas Cowboys

Nov 9, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive tackle Zack Martin (70) blocks at the line of scrimmage against Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Shakir Soto (52) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Zach Martin with the 16th pick in the NFL Draft. The Cowboys have a number of areas of need, but offensive line was certainly one of them.

Martin is one of the more versatile offensive linemen in the draft. He can play tackle or be moved inside to play guard. Some consider him to be a bit on the small side for tackle, but he played the position exceptionally well in college.

Martin is talented in both run and pass blocking. He has exceptional awareness and rarely, if ever, gets blindsided or misses his assignment. His effort and heart have never been questioned and he will block from snap to whistle.

Martin was generally considered the fourth best tackle in the draft and that is hardly an insult with the talent available in this draft. Some big boards even had him rating in the top 10 in the entire draft.

The pick gives the Cowboys a lot of versatility along the line. Martin can play a variety of positions and could feasibly start out at guard and work his way to left tackle.

While this isn’t a back pick for the Cowboys, Martin will certainly be a fine player, the team has much bigger areas of need. The good news is that Jerry Jones didn’t waste the pick on Johnny Manziel, which would have likely broken the franchise in addition to twitter.

The Cowboys desperately need defensive help still, but their offensive line should be exceptional after this pick. Martin will help to anchor one side of the line and it doesn’t matter if he’s playing tackle or guard.

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