Notre Dame tackle Martin climbing up draft boards

If the Falcons retain the sixth pick in the draft, they’ll have a shot at selecting one of the top tackles. If the team makes a trade down, they could be in position to add Martin and pick up some additional picks.

After mis-assessing the readiness of the offensive line replacements last season, the Falcons have gone to great lengths to make sure their evaluations of the offensive linemen in the 2014 draft is on target.

The hardest part of the evaluation is the prospective draftee’s intangibles.

“But in the end, if it’s not about the fire, the passion, the drive and the grittiness of an offensive lineman, then you are going to struggle with the development of those football players,” said Dimitroff, who has drafted seven offensive linemen in six previous drafts with none of them reaching the Pro Bowl.

Dimitroff is drawing on lessons he learned from former New England offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia to make sure the Falcons don’t miss-assess the prospects in the upcoming draft.

While with New England from 2002 to 2008, Dimitroff noted how Scarnecchia approached his units, how he coached them and knew what traits that he valued.

“Coach was all about the ruggedness of the player, the passion and intelligence,” Dimitroff said. “If you took a player who had all of that with a little bit of less athleticism, that was more beneficial than taking the excellent athlete who didn’t have the other requisite traits that you need to thrive as an offensive lineman.”

Martin, a two-time captain, fits the Scarnecchia mold.

“Well, I’m a big fan of Zack Martin as a player,” said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

While the “Big Three” are projected top 10 players, Martin, who started 52 games for the Fighting Irish, won’t last long.

“If you look at any mock draft that’s ever been constructed, it’s mandatory that Zack Martin goes to Miami,” Jeremiah said.

Miami has the 19th pick in the draft and Martin could be long gone by then.

“To me there’s no real mystery to him,” Jeremiah said. “You know exactly what you’re getting. I think he’s one of the safer players in the draft.

“He can play tackle if you want him to. He can slide inside and play guard. I think he’s definitely somebody that’s on the move to the point where when you look at the Giants who are picking at No. 12 … that wouldn’t shock me if Zack Martin went that high.”

Martin played left tackle for most of his career. He could start his career at right tackle or inside at guard. The right tackle position is gaining more importance around the league.

“If you have a right tackle that struggles in pass protection, teams are going to put their best pass rusher on the right side,” Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell said. “You see that in Indianapolis with Robert Mathis. For most of his career, he’s played on the right side, so you better have somebody who can protect the passer.”

Settling both of the key pass protection positions — left and right tackle — is vital for general managers. The Falcons are anticipating the recovery from knee surgery for left tackle Sam Baker.

“You look at a team like the San Francisco 49ers, who have a very good left tackle and a very good right tackle and if you can take care of both bookends, it frees you up to do a lot offensively,” Caldwell said.

If the Falcons select Martin, they are confident that new offensive line coach Mike Tice can whip him into NFL shape.

“He will get out of the players the maximum as far as the ruggedness and grittiness, that’s something that we’re going to need along the offensive line,” Dimitroff said.