Brodric Martin wants to contribute a lot more in his second season

When the Detroit Lions traded up into the top 100 picks in the 2023 draft to take Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin, they did so knowing he was a developmental prospect facing a big step up in competition.

The move even shocked Martin, who was preparing for his draft party to extend to Day 3 when the Lions called.

Martin played in just three games as a rookie, making his debut in Week 8 and seeing action in Week 14 and 15, for a total of 28 snaps. There's nowhere to go up from there in terms of playing time, and Martin went into the offseason noting the example Alim McNeill set regarding getting into better shape.

It's clear Martin cut weight and added muscle during the offseason. Substantially so.

Martin had a lot of technical work to do as a rookie, on things like hand usage and pad level at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds. Things can also move fast for a rookie, and things naturally slow down after that with experience under someone's belt.

Martin is set to really benefit from the addition of Terrell Williams as the Lions' defensive line coach, and from the veteran mentorship of free agent addition DJ Reader. He acknowledged both of those things after Thursday's OTAs practice, and he sounds ready to do a lot more in his second season.

Brodric Martin acknowledges he wasn't quite ready as a rookie

Martin acknowledged the rookie season learning curve that kept him from being ready to contribute like he wanted to (via SI.com).

“I mean it was a challenge. In my mind, I wanted to play, but I wasn’t ready," Martin said. "That’s how it goes, sometimes you’re just not ready to do what you want. God ain’t got that in your plan for you to do that right there. Hopefully, this year, God’s got it in my plan to do that.”

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn acknowledged how Martin "adjusted his body to be an NFL defensive lineman." Via Tim Twentyman of Lions.com, Martin said he hired a chef and starting eating right, which led to the noticeable transformation of his physique.

"I do feel a lot more ready (to play)," Martin said.

Head coach Dan Campbell has acknowledged the importance of training camp for Martin. He'll have to earn a spot in the Lions' defensive line rotation when pads come on, but the second-year man is off to a pretty good start on that front during OTAs.