San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Nick Martin recently suffered a fractured thumb while lifting weights, according to Noah Furtado of the San Francisco Chronicle. Fortunately, the injury did not sideline him from offseason practices.
"After a video surfaced in which star offensive tackle Trent Williams said that Martin had broken his thumb during a workout, many 49ers fans on social media assumed the worst," Furtado wrote. "Martin had missed most of his final season at Oklahoma State with a knee injury that likely affected his drafted stock."
Despite the injury, Martin will not require surgery and is expected to be fully ready for the start of training camp in July.
The 49ers selected Martin in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, hoping he can fill the void left by linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who departed in free agency to join the Denver Broncos. That would mean potentially earning a starting role alongside All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, one of the best in the game.
"He's like the guy that I respect the most at the linebacker position in the league," Martin said of Warner after being drafted. "So, it's an honor to get to work with him and learn from him and be the guy next to him. And just playing with him and learning and growing. I'm just excited to work with him."
Warner, now entering his eighth NFL season, has been impressed by what he's seen from Martin so far.
"I've seen the athletic ability flash already on the field, and the way that he closes," Warner said last month. "[He] closes space really quickly, and he already has the great mindset of wanting to learn. So, I'm really happy with where he's at."