Notre Dame Alum Zack Martin Named to NFL’s All-Decade Team
The NFL announced their 2010’s All-Decade team on Monday and Notre Dame alum Zack Martin made the team. Martin, one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL since his rookie year in 2014, has consistently been a dominant force for the Dallas Cowboys, making his selection no surprise.
Just last week, Sports Illustrated dubbed Notre Dame the new Offensive Line U in part because of Martin’s dominance along with the emergence of Ronnie Stanley and Quenton Nelson as All-Pro linemen over the last couple of years as well.
Congratulations to former Fighting Irish Offensive Lineman Zack Martin on being named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. #GoIrish x #IrishInTheNFL pic.twitter.com/huFN92J9Fv
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 6, 2020
Advertisement
Zack Martin has made the Pro Bowl in all six of his NFL seasons since the Cowboys drafted him in the 1st Round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He has also been named to the NFL’s 1st Team All-Pro team four times (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019) and the 2nd Team All-Pro team the other two seasons he has been in the league (2015, 2017).
Despite starting a program-record 52 games along the offensive line and being the 16th overall selection in the draft, honors and distinctions while he was at Notre Dame were not as plentiful. However, he was the first offensive lineman to be named the MVP of a bowl game since 1959 at the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl.
Since Martin’s selection in the first round of 2014 draft, Notre Dame has sent three more offensive linemen to the NFL as first-round picks – Nelson, Stanley, and Mike McGlinchey.
No other Notre Dame players were on the All-Decade team, which isn’t overly surprising, although Harrison Smith could have possibly been considered with five Pro Bowl nods over the last five years. He has far fewer All-Pro selections than Martin, though with one first-team selection and another second team.
At 29 years old and at the top of his game, Martin could potentially make the next All-Decade team if he can keep playing at the level we’ve become accustomed to for another six years. At his current Pace, Nelson will have a chance to be there as well if he stays healthy and as dominant as he’s been the last two years.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
Really great written post.