As Andrew Luck embraced the circus-like atmosphere of the 2012 NFL Draft in midtown Manhattan -- the future Indianapolis Colts quarterback filmed a hit on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Thursday -- Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin's draft morning had the feel of any other in Los Angeles.
"We went to breakfast," Martin told NFL.com. "It was just a typical breakfast. It felt like a Sunday breakfast we have every weekend. So I'm just trying to keep it normal."
NFL Network's live draft coverage
Our coverage of the 2012 NFL Draft begins well before the Colts' first-overall pick. Tune in for live coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET through the first round.
Of course there's nothing normal about the day, despite the cool, calm demeanor Martin attempts to portray. Martin, who will watch the draft at home with about 20 friends and family, hopes to hear Commissioner Roger Goodell announce where he'll be playing football for the next five years. He understands the gravity of the moment, and he said there's a combination of excitement and relief as he waits for the draft to start.
"You've put in all this hard work at the combine, pro day, personal workouts, team visits, and now it's out of your hands," Martin said. "It's a sense of relief in that there's nothing you can do know. It's up to whoever wants to take you at this point."
That also makes Martin's experience entirely different than Luck's. While Luck has known for some time that he's going to Indy, Martin said there's "a range of probably 15 teams that seem to be interested."
"Anyone who needs a tackle has been calling me," Martin added.
NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock has Martin headed to the New York Giants with the final pick of the first round, while NFL.com's Chad Reuter penciled him in at No. 26 to the Houston Texans. Both experts view Martin as a player capable of quickly contributing at right tackle.
One thing that could help Martin see the field sooner rather than later is his experience playing in an NFL-style offense manned by Luck. Luck orchestrated Stanford's attack like a young Peyton Manning and was given the freedom to audible at the line of scrimmage. That forced Martin to have a detailed knowledge of the playbook and an ability to think and react on the fly.
"We had to know a lot of different things at the line of scrimmage," Martin said. "We had probably three different plays coming out of the huddle every time. And Andrew could go from there to 10 plays probably in the playbook. So we had to think ... to be able to get your body to react to do what you wanted to do. I think that's a skill that could definitely help you."
