Giants go a new direction in PFF's latest mock draft
The New York Giants can go a variety of directions in the 2023 NFL Draft, with round one a little over two weeks away in Kansas City. The obvious mock selections have been some assortment of receivers, corners, or maybe a guard and front seven players thrown in for good measure. But in Pro Football […]
The New York Giants can go a variety of directions in the 2023 NFL Draft, with round one a little over two weeks away in Kansas City.
The obvious mock selections have been some assortment of receivers, corners, or maybe a guard and front seven players thrown in for good measure.
But in Pro Football Focus's latest mock draft, Sam Monson threw a curveball in the Giants direction, mocking an unfamiliar face to the Giants at 25.
John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
Schmitz is an outlier when it comes to the center position. Typically the smallest person on the line, centers are the most cerebral of the front five, but often the lesser athletes and tinier of the bunch.
Schmitz is the ultimate exception to this rule, tipping the scales at an official 6'3 and 1/2 inches, to pair with 300 pounds of mass, when measuring in at the NFL Scouting Combine.
But Schmitz isn't just a big person, he has all the tools to be a plug-and-play starter and one that can guide your unit for years to come.
An impressive athlete to pair with his overside frame, Schimtz will have no problem if he's asked to play in a zone scheme where he has to move laterally, reaching critical blocks on the perimeter.
Yet, his body type makes him a suitable center in gap or power schemes, which are offenses designed to get their guards and tackles moving with centers down-blocking and holding the fort against interior defensive linemen.
Now, the NFL is seeing an influx of pass rushers from the defensive tackle position, meaning the center position has evolved into one that requires premium pass protection.
Gone are the days of just worrying about tackles and guards to protect the edge of the pocket, with players like Aaron Donald and New York's own, Dexter Lawrence, wrecking pocket depth from interior alignments.
That means your center has to hold up, and how does Schmitz do?
Glad you asked.
A textbook rep from Schmitz, watch his hands and feet work in unison, all the while he's anchored in his pass set, allowing the defender to create little leverage or push.
And to be fully transparent, being on an island like this, meaning a center is broached with the task of protecting in a true 1v1 scenario, is something rarely seen in the NFL, typically only utilized against blitzes.
But Schmitz has shown the ability both physically and mentally to do so, often calling the protections during his time with the Golden Gophers.
While a center certainly isn't as glamorous as the receiver or corner position that desperately needs to be addressed, it's the perfect fit for what New York wants to do on offense and could be a reality if the Giants board falls a certain way on April 27th.
