Anonymous exec grossly underrates Cowboys G Zack Martin on ESPN list

It’s July and that means ESPN is coming out with their top ten rankings for every NFL position heading into 2022. Given the Dallas Cowboys have a pretty impressive roster, several players have been present among the league’s top position players.

In a sport where finding consistent, durable, and talented offensive lineman is rare, Cowboys guard Zack Martin is a diamond in the rough. For eight years, Martin has been an integral member of the Cowboys’ offensive line. A former first-round pick from the 2014 NFL Draft, Martin started every game in his rookie season. Since then, he’s missed only nine starts, showing a rare trait amongst OLs – durability.

Over the course of his NFL career, he has earned Pro Bowl nods in all but one season (a season where he missed six games) and has five All-Pro selections. He is incredibly well respected across the league and is considered by many to be a future Hall of Famer.

Because of all of this, it’s unsurprising that the guard was ranked second among ESPN’s list of top ten interior offensive linemen. What is surprising, however, is that one of the anonymous execs who voted somehow thought Martin was the seventh-best in the league. On what planet is this valid or fair?

Cowboys G Zack Martin earns No. 2 interior OL ranking on ESPN list after one exec deems him seventh-best

Here are the top ten:

1. Quenton Nelson, Colts
2. Zack Martin, Cowboys
3. Brandon Scherff, Jaguars
4. Joe Thuney, Chiefs
5. Joel Bitonio, Browns
6. Ryan Jensen, Bucs
7. Elgton Jenkins, Packers
8. Jason Kelce, Eagles
9. Wyatt Teller, Browns
10. Corey Linsley, Chargers

Look. We aren’t here to say that Quenton Nelson isn’t deserving. He is. He’s held that No. 1 spot for three years in a row. However, the ESPN article even stated that Nelson lost a few of his first-place votes to Martin and Scherff. That potentially means that if one NFL executive didn’t egregiously deem the Cowboy seventh-best, he may have actually taken over Nelson’s top spot.

Nelson is five years younger, but Martin outshines him in several other categories. Last year, the 31-year-old had an incredibly impressive 93.9 PFF grade compared to Nelson’s 69.1 rating. Martin also had a better pass block and run block win rate. On a penalty-heavy offense, the 7x Pro Bowler caused just two flags on 1,036 snaps.

This quote from the article really says it all: “Nelson might be the golden child at the guard position, but Martin is the gold standard.” His teammates recognize his talents, too.

We, of course, don’t know who voted Martin at No. 7. But whoever that coach, scout, or GM is clearly wasn’t thinking straight. The Cowboy is arguably one of the best guards in NFL history.