Washington Commanders value Jartavius Martin's flexibility in making him second-round pick

Washington head coach Ron Rivera looked at Illinois defensive back Jartavius "Quan" Martin and saw a Swiss Army knife for his secondary − someone he can plug in as a safety, nickel, or outside corner.

That flexibility is why the Commanders selected the Fort Myers native and Lehigh Senior High graduate 47th overall, 16th in the second round, of the 2023 NFL Draft Friday night.

"When we got to that point, and we’re looking what the options were we really felt we could really solidify that depth that we need in the secondary and actually have a guy that can also come in and compete at nickel and give us some safety help as well,” Rivera said.

Under the radar no more: Illinois DB Jartavius Martin of Fort Myers a sure 2023 NFL Draft pick

From SWFL to the NFL: Here's a look at every Southwest Florida player ever selected in the NFL Draft

Martin got the call from Rivera in the Airbnb he rented to watch the festivities with his friends and family in Orlando.

"Man, that was awesome," Martin said on a Zoom call with media after his selection. "It was a great opportunity. I'm just lost for words."

Martin is the highest Southwest Florida player drafted since the Minnesota Vikings took Minnesota cornerback Mackensie Alexander of Immokalee 54th overall in 2016 and became the 11th area player taken in the first two rounds.

Washington was one of 10 teams Martin visited pre-draft visit and he left with a good feeling.

"It was actually one of my favorite visits so just to be able to back to a place where I really enjoyed is awesome," he said.

"Just the energy around the building. Everyone was super involved, super interactive. People just reminded me of being at Illinois these past few years. I knew it's defintely a place I wanted to play at."

Washington brought Martin in as one of the 30 visits by potential draft picks NFL teams are allowed and general manager Martin Mayhew said he was impressed with Martin during the visit.

“We’re really excited about him," Mayhew said. "I spent some time with him when he came for his 30 visit as well. He’s from Florida, we talked about Fort Myers and some pretty good DBs came out of there. One guy you guys know for sure, Deion Sanders came out of there. We talked about Prime a little bit and I'm really excited to have him join us. Another guy who’s going to fit really well in that room too.”

2023 NFL Draft: Fort Myers’ Jartavius "Quan" Martin drafted in 2nd round, 47th overall by Washington Commanders

Washington likes to deploy a lot of defensive backs and uses five on the majority of its defensive snaps. Rivera estimated it was 60% of the time. That could be why the Commanders used their first two picks on the position.

Washington selected Mississippi State's Emmanuel Forbes with the 16th overall pick Thursday. Forbes, who had 14 career interceptions during his career at Mississippi State, returned six of those for touchdowns, shattering both the SEC and FBS records.

"I watched him a little bit so I mean, I'm excited to be able to play with him," Martin said of Forbes. "He's a great ball hog, takes the ball away, and you know gets the defense in the end zone."

Considering the Commanders had taken a defensive back in the first round, there was a question on if they wanted to double up at the position, but Martin wasn't worried.

"I wouldn't say surprised but you know, they seemed like they really wanted me when I was there, so I mean they showed me and came to pick me today."

The Commanders are getting a player Martin led the Illini with 51 solo tackles last season and had 14 passes defended with three interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, Martin missed only seven tackles in 129 attempts over the last two seasons, so the Commanders are getting a player who can defend the run and pass.

"Just my understanding of the game, man," Martin said. "Just being able to play any position in the back end at any given moment in the game just shows like my understanding of the game and my football IQ."

Martin was the second of three players from the Illinois secondary selected in the first three rounds. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was taken fifth overall by Seattle on Thursday and after Martin fellow Illini safety Sydney Brown was taken 66th overall, third in the third round, by the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the past two seasons, former Immokalee star Aaron Henry served as the Illini secondary coach on Bret Bielema's staff before being elevated to defensive coordinator in December. Mayhew credited the coaching the Illinois players received to all becoming high draft picks, including their maturity and discipline on the field.

“One thing with Quan and with the other corner there Witherspoon, both those guys played the deep ball well. You can see them turn their head and find the ball, locate it, and try to make plays on the ball whereas a lot of time in college football a lot of guys are trying to play through hands and you see more penalties from college players in those situations, and more panic, you didn’t see that from those guys. They were very well coached.”

Martin said the bonds he forged with those teammates in the backfield helped him become a better player.

"We just play together as a group man, we trust each other, we believed in one another," Martin said. "And I feel like that's what you need when you're on the field with a group of guys so just being able to compete at a high level and being on the same page."

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: NFL Draft: Ron Rivera loves Jartavius 'Quan' Martin's flexibility