Miami running back Damien Martinez was widely praised for running a 4.51 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Martinez was also timed in his 10-yard split running the 40-yard dash and participated in the broad and vertical jumps.
Martinez finished 15th out of 24 running backs in the 40-yard dash. Former Miami wide receiver Brashard Smith of SMU finished third among RBs at the NFL Combine by running a 4.39 40. Bayshul Tuten, who ran for 141 yards and a touchdown for Virginia Tech versus Miami in 2024, led all RBs with a 4.32 40.
Martinez tied for 13th with Tahj Brooks of Texas Tech running a 1.56 10-yard split. Tuten had the best 10-yard split, running 1.49 seconds. Smith had a 1.58 10-yard split. Martinez reached a top speed of 21.86 miles per hour, had a Maximum Acceleration of 5.21, reached 20 MPH at 17 yards and his five-yard speed was 13.94 MPH.
Martinez was 17th with a vertical leap of 35". Tuten also led RBs with a vertical leap of 40.5". Martinez had a leap of 10'4" in the broad jump. Quinshon Junkins of Ohio State had the best performance in the broad jump at 11'0. The consensus on Martinez was his numbers at 217 pounds were impressive.
I had no idea this information was out there, but this intel is AWESOME from NextGenStats on https://t.co/YM08EyKo1B
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) March 1, 2025
It's refreshing to see this many RB UNITs running this fast when it's a relatively weaker WR class.
Let's look at the 2025 RBs: pic.twitter.com/G7Td9dsaG9
Martinez also participated in receiving drills. In 2024, he set career highs with 17 receptions for 204 yards. Martinez finished his college career in two seasons at Oregon State and one at Miami with 32 receptions for 391 yards and no TDs. Conversely, Martinez had 514 carries for 3,169 yards and 26 TDs.
Martinez and his former Miami teammates will have another opportunity to impress scouts at the Miami Pro Day on March 26. Miami had 10 players invited to the 2025 NFL Combine. Tight end Elijah Arroyo was unable to participate at the NFL Combine due to a knee injury, but he is expected to be healthy for Pro Day.