The NFL Draft profile for Ivory Kelly-Martin is one that will likely lead to a valuable undrafted signing. Although he never emerged as the team’s premier back, Kelly-Martin had a solid career at Iowa. He typically shared snaps with other notable Hawkeye running backs including Tyler Goodson, Mekhi Sargent, and Akrum Wadley.
Iowa NFL Draft Profile: Ivory Kelly-Martin
Kelly-Martin was a three-star back out of Oswego East High School in Illinois. He received several offers from around the country but landed at the University of Iowa in 2017. Kelly-Martin played in 13 games as a freshman on both special teams and in the backfield. As a true sophomore, he started in six games, quickly settling into the offense. In his five seasons at Iowa, Kelly-Martin tallied 996 all-purpose yards and seven total touchdowns. Although these numbers might not turn heads, he did it mostly as a secondary running back. To have a guy stick with the team for five seasons despite not earning the full-time starting job is an impressive showing of his character. Kelly-Martin consistently exemplified what it meant to be a team player while helping the Hawkeyes to multiple 10-win seasons.
Pro Day
At Iowa Pro Day, Kelly-Martin discussed his goal of increasing his draft stock by becoming more dynamic as a back. In an interview with HawkeyeReport, the running back mentioned getting opportunities on special teams. He pointed out that if he can add value in that phase of the game, in addition to his skills in the backfield, he can increase his opportunities at the next level. Kelly-Martin ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and noted that he was pleased with his agility drills as a whole. He is comparable to Damarea Crockett of the Denver Broncos who also ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and has a similar build. Crockett is on Denver’s practice squad after signing with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent out of college. It’s likely that Kelly-Martin will not hear his name in the NFL Draft either. However, the former Iowa running back has the physical skills and the character traits to make a positive impact on an organization in the NFL.
