Marcus Martin (born November 29, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC.

Early years

Martin attended

Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls arou ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. As a senior, he helped the team win the 2010 L.A. City Division I championship. He received All-L.A. City,All-State Division 1 first-team, Offense Defense Bowl All-American, Offensive Lineman of the Year and Los Angeles Times All-Star honors. He was considered a three-star recruit by ''

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'' and was rated as the 28th best

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

prospect of his class.

College career

Martin accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. As a true freshman, he started 10 games and earned freshman all-American honors at left guard. As a sophomore, he started 10 games at left guard. As a junior, he was voted a team captain and moved to

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

starting 13 games earning 1st team All-Pac-12. He suffered knee and ankle injuries in the season finale against

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

and did not play in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl. He declared for the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

after his junior season. During his college career he had 20 starts at

and 13 at left guard.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Martin was selected by the

in the third round (70th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the second center to be selected and one of three USC Trojans to be selected that year. As a rookie, he suffered a dislocated kneecap in the third preseason game against the San Diego Chargers and was forced to miss the first two months of the regular season. He started the last 8 games at

, after replacing Daniel Kilgore who broke his leg in the seventh game against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. In 2015, he was named the starter at center over Kilgore. He had 14 starts, with 13 coming at

and one and at

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gi ...

. In

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, he was passed on the depth chart by Kilgore. He appeared in four games, starting 2 at left guard, before being placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

with an ankle injury on December 31. He was waived on March 8, 2017.

Cleveland Browns

On March 9,

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, Martin was claimed off waivers by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

. He did not play any snaps during the season as a backup behind Austin Reiter.

Dallas Cowboys

On March 26,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, Martin signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

. He came into

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

out of shape and struggled. He suffered a torn ligament in the right big toe during the preseason opener against the

and was placed on injured reserve on August 13.

Seattle Seahawks

On May 9, 2019, Martin signed with the Seattle Seahawks. He was released on August 31, 2019.

Detroit Lions

On September 23, 2020, Martin was signed to the Detroit Lions' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 7 and December 19 for the team's weeks 9 and 15 games against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

and

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was released on December 22, 2020.

New England Patriots

On December 28, 2020, Martin was signed to the New England Patriots active roster. He was placed on injured reserve on August 24, 2021. He was released on September 2, 2021 with an injury settlement.

References

External links

USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Marcus 1993 births Living people Crenshaw High School alumni Players of American football from Los Angeles American football centers USC Trojans football players San Francisco 49ers players Cleveland Browns players Dallas Cowboys players Seattle Seahawks players Detroit Lions players New England Patriots players