School: Minnesota

Position: OC

Year: Redshirt Senior

The Good: Center is one of the select few positions where you might want your NFL Draft pick to be on the older end with more game experience, especially if he’s an expected Week 1 starter. Well, John Michael Schmitz enrolled at Minnesota in 2017 and played 57 games for the Gophers. Schmitz is as in control, aware, and reactive as you’d like for your center; an offense can feel comfortable with every play starting with the ball in his hands. Athletically, Schmitz has good quickness. He can pin interior defensive lineman and land frontside blocks, and he’s a capable zone blocker in the run game. Schmitz has a nice sized frame, especially since he plays with good knee bend to offset his above-average height for the position. Moving forward, Schmitz converts at the second level at a good enough rate. There is absolutely zero concern over Schmitz’s football mentality either.

The Bad: The primary knock against Schmitz is that he’s a pretty limited athlete. Like I already covered, he’s definitely quick enough, but Schmitz is otherwise slow and isn’t too gifted with balance. Schmitz will be on the lower end of the spectrum for general strength among NFL linemen once he’s drafted too; he can’t really discard dudes across from him, nor does he chip block with authority. Though he has average arm length, Schmitz doesn’t really play to it. He’s mediocre on combo blocks, and the same can be said about his general hand usage in pass protection.

The Bottom Line: John Michael Schmitz is a NFL center in waiting, through and through. He’s a better run blocker than pass blocker, though neither phase is a major strength but also not a major issue either; he’s just all-around solid. There’s obviously value in that and it justifies him as a draft pick in the top half of the NFL Draft. Every player has a chance to get better once he cracks the NFL, but Schmitz might be just about as maxed out as it gets. 

Grade: Third Round

Pro Comp: Chase Roullier

Games Watched: 

• Ohio State 2021
• Michigan State 2022
• Illinois 2022
• Senior Bowl

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