After going 9-7-1 last season, the New York Giants are looking to take another step forward in 2023. One area that seems to need help nearly every offseason is the offensive line. New York has not had a dominant front five in well over a decade.
To help boost their o-line play, the Giants drafted center John Michael Schmitz with the 57th overall pick. Many scouts ahead of the draft had Schmitz as one of the top linemen in the 2023 class. Being able to select him in the second round was massive. CBS Sports has named Schmitz as an “under-the-radar player” for next season.
How effective will rookie center John Michael Schmitz be in his first season?
Sometimes teams can afford to wait on rookies. The Giants are not one of those teams when it comes to Deonte Banks on defense and John Michael Schmitz on offense. In #PostSportsPlus. https://t.co/vIgHsxDM9M
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) July 12, 2023
In college, John Michael Schmitz (JMS) played for the University of Minnesota. During the 2022 season, he was the anchor for one of the nation’s best rushing attacks. This offseason, the Giants lost John Feliciano and Nick Gates to free agency. They were New York’s two-best options at the center.
Luckily, JMS is 24 years old and is more polished than the average rookie center. CBS Sport’ Zachary Pereles had JMS as one of the Top 50 under-the-radar players for the 2023 season. Pereles noted that Schmitz is going to have key responsibilities for the Giants next season. They are expecting a lot out of him as a rookie.
#12 Giants C John Michael-Schmitz
(2-57) #Gophers🔵 Four years of starting experience 🧠
🔵 Polished pass technique and can build run lanes 🪞
🔵 “Impressed” coaches in Senior Bowl 1V1’s 📈
Already pancaking Micah Parsons 🥞👇 pic.twitter.com/it4DYZTS4K
— Mister Irrelevant (@Mr1rrelevant) July 17, 2023
New York’s offensive line still needs some work, but they should be better than last season. Andrew Thomas had a breakout 2022 season and was one of the best tackles in the NFL. He earned second-team All-Pro honors and is set to have a huge payday in the next year.
In the 2022 Draft, the Giants took Evan Neal with the 7th overall pick. He had a shaky first season in New York but has worked hard this off-season to become a better player. The addition of John Michael Schmitz as their new center will be another huge boost to the offense. After being ahead of schedule last season, the Giants want to build off that success they had.
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