School: Miami (Fla.)
Year: Jr
Position: RB

Physical Attributes

• Height: 6-0
• Weight: 232
• RAS: 8.52
• 40 Time: 4.58

Rankings

• Joe’s Ranking: 6.3
• Consensus Position Rank: 12
• My Position Ranking: 8
• Difference in Ranking: 4
• Tier: 4
• Projected Round: 3

Games Watched

• Louisville ’24
• Florida ’24

Ryan’s Notes

Positives

• Damien is a bigger back who can push very small creases into enough yards to move the chains on short yardage situations.
• He sets up blocks well by pressing defenders into mistakes and he hits the intended hole with force.
• For a heavier back he plays slim which helps him win through squeezed gaps.
• He is an uncomplicated back who sticks his face in the fan and drives his legs for more yards than most backs can muster up.
• His leg drive is mighty impressive, he took multiple defenders with him on a 20 yard rumble after initial contact to set up a score on Louisville’s 30th ranked defense.
• The man just will not go down against single man tackles, his lower half strength is winning every battle he meets.
• Martinez’s touchdown run to end the game was absolutely electric! He did it all: he set up a block on linebacker to be washed out of the gap, squeezed off of his center’s shoulder, trucked through a safety before scoring.

Negatives

• His game is limited to runs through defenders as he does not have elusiveness or twitch to break runs open.
• His footspeed doesn’t seem to match up with the standards of other backs in this class.
• This was reflected in his agility testing too, he was in the 23rd percentile for short shuttle and his three cone test was only average.

Ryan’s Summary

I try to stay away from comparisons but he reminds me so much of Rhamondre Stephenson. His power is undeniable but it’s his vision and surprising athletic upside that put him on par with the former Sooner. He has outstanding leg drive and the force to sit bigger linebackers down even if he doesn’t have the speed to hurt teams on a consistent basis. I’d like to see him in a backfield duo and I think it would be exciting to have him in a split back scheme.