Jartavius Martin drafted in second round by Commanders

Jartavius Martin is the second Illini to hear his name called in Kansas City.

Joining Devon Witherspoon and Sydney Brown, Quan has proved to the football world that Illinois is a DBU in the making.

The safety was taken by the Washington Commanders with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Martin played five seasons in Champaign. Playing in 50 career college games, he had his best year with the Illini in 2022.

In his senior campaign, Quan was voted All-Big Ten second team by the media and third team by the coaches. He was a team captain for the ReliaQuest Bowl and he accepted an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Last season he led Illinois in solo tackles with 51, he had the No. 4 tackling grade in the nation among cornerbacks (90.4) according to PFF and was 22nd in the nation and third in the Big Ten in passes defended (14).

Martin dominated at the NFL combine. He had the highest overall vertical jump at 44”, he tied for the second best overall 10-yard split at 1.47 seconds and was tied for seventh best overall broad jump at 11’1”.

This effort was good enough to give Quan the third highest CB athleticism score at 84 and the sixth best total CB score at the combine with a rating of 74.

The next time we see Jartavius Martin, he’ll be repping the burgundy and gold on an NFL field.