Tuesday evening the San Francisco 49ers acquired offensive lineman Jonathan Martin from the Miami Dolphins for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
Martin, 24, will have to crack the roster of the 49ers in order for the Dolphins to receive an compensation, hence why the pick is in 2015 rather than 2014.
For former Dolphins OT Jonathan Martin, SF traded a conditional 7th-rd pick in 2015 if he's on 49ers' opening 53-man roster.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2014
There is no guarantee that Martin will make the 49ers. He missed the last nine games of the 2013 season while the whole bullying case unfolded. It is also unclear how he will respond to returning to an NFL locker room.
One positive for Martin is that he will be reunited with former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wells Report offered the following information from Harbaugh about Martin.
“Although initially quiet, he became a vocal leader on the team by his final year. Coach Harbaugh emphasized that he never doubted Martin’s physical or mental toughness, and he believes that Martin can continue to have a successful career in the NFL. Coach Harbaugh also said that the atmosphere in the Stanford locker room, in his view, was not materially different from that of the San Francisco 49ers’ locker room.”
This is not exactly the same as the 49ers picking up Anquan Boldin a year ago, but Harbuagh and the 49ers have been known to get the best out of their players.
