FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With the New England Patriots acquiring receiver Keshawn Martin in a trade with the Houston Texans on Wednesday (pending a physical), the tape was turned on to watch Martin and get a better feel for his style of play.
Physical makeup. Martin is 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds. He is easy to spot on film as his hair flows out of the back of his helmet. He has fairly broad shoulders and more of a wiry build through the midsection.
Style of play. Martin might best be described as a catch-and-run receiver whose speed is his best asset. He shows the ability to make players miss after the catch. Two examples were a 32-yard grab vs. Tennessee in the 2014 regular season and a 16-yard reception in the 2015 preseason against Denver. On both plays, he created yardage after the initial catch. At times, he shows suddenness coming out of his break, such as on an 8-yard catch on an out-breaking route in a 2015 preseason game against the Saints (1:57, second quarter). He catches the ball fairly well (e.g. 16-yard leaping TD vs. Dallas against first-round pick Byron Jones in preseason), as I didn't see any drops on film, and he can accelerate somewhat quickly from a stopped position (e.g. 5-yard bubble screen vs. Cowboys in preseason). He doesn't appear to be an overly fluid route-runner. He had one fumble in the preseason on a bubble screen (vs. Cowboys).
Production and alignment. Martin finished with just six receptions in 2014, playing in a similar offense to the Patriots under Texans coach Bill O'Brien. He plays inside and outside, which is the type of flexibility the Patriots generally like in their receivers. His primary contributions came as a punt returner, as he had 25 returns for 164 yards (6.2 avg.). He has 86 career punt returns.
History against the Patriots. Martin played one regular-season game against the Patriots in his career, in 2012, his rookie season. He played 17 offensive snaps and 12 on special teams, finishing with one catch for minus-4 yards and two kickoff returns for 39 yards. He also played against New England in the playoffs that season, but there wasn't any notable production (no catches, 3 punt returns for 17 yards). So this wasn't a case where he had a big game against the Patriots, which led the team to look in his direction.
Summary. Martin's experience as a punt returner is likely what drew the Patriots to him, as his production/body of work as a receiver is not extensive. It's hard to imagine the Patriots parting with much to acquire him (perhaps it's the type of deal where the teams switch positions within a draft round next year). The Texans had excellent depth at receiver and Martin was viewed as a bubble player in training camp. The thought entering film review was that Martin's primary value is that he could help lighten the punt-return return load on Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola -- who are now the top two receivers on the depth chart -- and that was reinforced after watching plays from multiple games. My sense is the Patriots probably feel a bit more comfortable with his experience as a returner than someone like rookie Chris Harper.
