HBCU Football: The top 10 HBCU NFL Draft Prospects

7. Jah-Maine Martin- Running Back, North Carolina A&T

First-round running backs hardly exist anymore. When the Chiefs drafted Clyde Edwards-Helarie in the first round out of LSU, he was a perfect scheme fit. However, on balance, many teams won’t take a running back early because it is a passing league, and there is value at running back in the later rounds.

Two prime examples are former Houston Texan running back Arian Foster and former Kansas City Chief Priest Holmes. More recently, running backs like Tarik Cohen and Chris Carson have been starters in the league as late-round draft picks.

That brings us to North Carolina A&T standout Jah-Maine Martin. A former Coastal Carolina commit, Martin is the late-round or HPFA teams want to find. Martin has NFL size for a running back (5-foot-10 and 215 pounds) with room for 10-15 more pounds.

Scouts love the body balance. Martin has excellent pad level through the hole and rarely goes down on the first contact. Not only does he run with aggression through the hole, but Martin can also run past defensive backs at the second and third level giving a team big-play potential.

Where Martin needs to improve is in the passing game as both a receiver and blocker. Martin was not asked to catch the ball often at A&T and did not often block on obvious passing downs. However, he was willing in both areas.

If Martin can improve in the passing game, not only will he make a roster, but Martin will keep a job in the NFL for a long time.