Rutgers' Martinek Ready for NFL Draft

Joe Martinek's path to the NFL has been anything but typical.

After leaving as the state's all-time rushing leader, former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano initially thought Martinek's talents would be best suited for defense. And after finally proving himself as a running back, rushing nearly for 1,000 yards as a sophomore, he was shifted to fullback before his senior season.

So while many professional prospects plan to huddle around the living room TV with family and friends during the NFL Draft, which starts 7 p.m. Thursday and ends Saturday, that Martinek would rather stay as disconnected from the news as possible might not be that big of a surprise.

"It's that competition factor," he said Wednesday night. "Just watching everything and judging everything, I could just see myself stressing myself out."

So Martinek, projected as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent, will spend Thursday and Friday keeping busy, pulling his mind from the gridiron. And on Saturday, Martinek hopes to get a phone call from an interested NFL team while golfing with close friends.

But, meantime, the 5-foot-11, 224-pounder won't be gnawing his fingernails.

"I'm trying not to expect anything," he said. "People are going to tell you one thing and the result ends up being the total opposite."

That's despite having reason to believe he could become Hopatcong's first NFL draftee since lineman Dave Yovanovits went in the seventh round to the Jets in 2003. Yovanovits couldn't be immediately reached Thursday. Martinek finished his Hopatcong career with 7,589 yards and 80 touchdowns.

The 23-year-old scored 17 touchdowns while rushing 391 times for 1,770 yards with Rutgers. But it might have been his impressive Scarlet Knights pro day, —quick for a running back, even quicker for a fullback—that might have directly led and a .

Martinek said the workouts, which each lasted only about 20 minutes, prepared him for how professional squads operate. He said meeting with coaches, trainers and various NFL support staff was an invaluable experience.

He added that his time at Rutgers, who recently lost Schiano to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helped prepare him for NFL scrutiny.

"Going to [Schiano's] workouts definitely got me ready mentally and ready to know what to expect," said Martinek, who said he's exchanged several text messages with the former Scarlet Knights head coach since his departure for the NFL. "[Schiano] demanded a lot of us. Other college coaches might not have expected as much from their players. Everyone at Rutgers was accountable. And I think that's going to translate well into the NFL."

Which is exactly where Martinek, who led the Chiefs to a 2006 state crown, expect to be. His father, Joe Martinek Sr., said via Twitter there's "a good chance there'll be some celebrating going on" at their home Saturday night. Earlier in the week, the father said things were “heating up.”

But Martinek isn't looking forward to a celebration as much as he is toward strapping on shoulder pads.

"I've been ready," said Martinek, who added that his family—in particular his father and younger brother, Michael—and friends have been instrumental in keeping him focused. "I'm just ready to get out there."

After he hits the golf course, that is.

"I'll just be keeping myself busy, trying to keep my mind off things," Martinek said.