IRVING - Entering his third week of organized team activities, Zack Martin is still trying to learn how to be a starting right guard in the NFL. Martin played left tackle at Notre Dame.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys tested the versatility of their first-round pick a little more, playing him at center during some portions of team drills.
"It's hard," Martin said. "First time I was in there, I came to the side and was like, âYou got a lot going on out there.' You got to know a lot, so just try to get better every day."
Martin said although this week is the first time he has played center, he took some snaps at the position for a few teams during pre-draft workouts.
"I think one of the things we thought about when he was coming out was his versatility," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday. "He played left tackle at Notre Dame, started 52 games. But I think we all felt like he could play tackle, he could play guard, and even play center.
"He's a really, really smart football player. You can tell that with how he played on college tape, you can tell that from Minute One since he's been here, both in the class room and on the field. The game comes very easily to him from a mental standpoint. He doesn't seem to struggle with the different looks, playing different spots. There's a lot of poise and confidence.
"Now, he's got a long way to go, don't get me wrong. He's young to this whole thing. He's had about 10 or so practices with us. But we viewed him as a guy who could potentially play five offensive line spots when we drafted him. He's certainly done a very good job at guard, try to get him some snaps at center as well."
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