MOBILE, Ala. -- At only 5-foot-9, Boise State University’s Doug Martin is the shortest running back on the North team at the 2012 Senior Bowl.
However, he has not escaped the notice of Minnesota Vikings and North team coach Leslie Frazier.
“He’s a guy who plays with a lot of energy, runs around and seems to have the ability to do just about whatever you ask him to do,” Frazier said. “We’re anxious to watch him continue to develop and see how he plays on Saturday.”
In addition to his coaches, Martin’s efforts have also caught the eyes of some draft analysts who made the trip to Mobile for the week.
“I really like the kid from Boise,” said Mike Mayock of the NFL Network. “Doug Martin, he could be a second or third-round pick. The tendency from the last two years, unless a guy is Adrian Peterson, and maybe (Trent Richardson) from Alabama is, but other than that, a lot of teams are opting to go down to the second or third round and get two running backs instead of just one guy.”
During his career at Boise State, Martin gained 3,431 yards and scored 43 touchdowns on 617 carries. He ended his college career with back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons and ran for no less than 12 touchdowns in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
“I have a drive to get past the line of scrimmage,” Martin said of his strengths. “I put the shoulder down and just run hard. I’m hoping to represent and just prove that I’m one of the great players. Hopefully, one of these teams will take me.”
Martin is one of five Boise State players scheduled to participate in the 2012 Senior Bowl.
Quarterback Kellen Moore, defensive back George Iloka and defensive linemen Billy Winn and Shea McClellin are also participating in Saturday’s all-star game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Through their participation in the Senior Bowl, Martin feels the five former Broncos have an opportunity to build on the tradition of success at Boise State under Coach Chris Petersen.
“It’s pretty nice to have all these guys around to support each other,” Martin said. “It’s a really humbling experience and I’m just grateful to be here, as is everybody else at Boise State and we just want to represent for our school.”
