The San Francisco 49ers won another nail-biter on Thursday night as they took down the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. The defense came up when it mattered most, but they could benefit from a potential boost in rookie linebacker Nick Martin.
The Niners selected Martin in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State. The presumption was that he would end up being a starter alongside Fred Warner at linebacker, but Martin's slow start and the emergence of Dee Winters pumped the brakes on that.
Martin had a rough preseason debut where he was missing tackles left and right, but he rebounded in the next few preseason games.