John Michael Schmitz Jr. Scouting Report

John Michael Schmitz Jr. NFL Draft Profile

John Michael Schmitz Scouting Report

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

John Michael Schmitz 40-Yard Dash: TBD
6‘4“ / 320 lbs.

John Michael Schmitz NFL Draft Profile

A 3-star recruit from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Illinois. Even though he played LT during both his junior and senior seasons, Schmitz was ranked as the #1 center in the midwest, and #8 center in the nation coming out of high school. After playing sparingly during his redshirt freshman season, Schmitz has become an anchor in the middle of the Minnesota offensive line. During his time with the Golden Gophers, he has made a total of 35 starts. Throughout his college career, Schmitz helped pave the way for Minnesota’s all-time leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim. But he’s also racked up his own impressive list of awards including:
– 4-time Academic All-Big Ten (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021)
– 2022 All-Big Ten First Team (coaches and media)
– AP and FWAA First Team All-American
– Walter Camp Second Team All-American
– Playing in the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl

Strengths

Consistent

If there’s one thing that any fan wants from an offensive lineman, it’s to forget they’re in the game. Any team that’s lucky enough to draft John Michael Schmitz is going to get just that. Pass or run blocking it doesn’t matter; Schmitz just doesn’t make mistakes or get beat. If a defensive tackle lines up directly over Schmitz, you can count on him to hold his own because he’s strong enough to do so. If you need him to seal a hole for the running back on a zone run, you can count on him because he’s athletic enough to move and get into position. Watching him eventually became boring because I knew what he was going to do every play.

Football IQ

You want your center to be a smart player. And you would think someone that was placed on an all-academic team is just that. Watching Schmitz play reinforced these thoughts for me. Of course, you have all the pre-snap reads and adjustments that you typically see from a center. But it was more of the post snap actions that impressed me more, especially during run blocking. He’s not overaggressive in getting up to the second level. I saw multiple times where he could have easily got up and blocked a linebacker. Instead, he was patient and waited and blocked a defender that would’ve had a free shot at the running back if he wasn’t there.

Weaknesses

Small Things

There’s not really any glaring weaknesses that I could find while watching Schmitz play. The only thing that I could really see was a small habit that I noticed from time to time that he displayed. Every now and then, mainly when blocking on the move, he would lose his fundamentals. Once in a blue moon he would lower his head and block blindly. Also, I saw a few examples of him getting his shoulders too far out in front of his hips. Both issues would cause Schmitz to lose his balance and get a little out of control trying to set blocks. It wasn’t a common occurrence, but when you’re looking at trying to differentiate between top players these are things that can separate players.

John Michael Schmitz Draft Stock

I looked at the history of centers being picked in the last 10 NFL Drafts. During that time, only eight centers have been selected in the first round. And only once, 2018, has more than one center been taking in the first round. So even though Schmitz is talented, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be a first-round pick simply due to the position he plays. I personally see him as a lock for the 2nd round at worst,
with a decent chance of being a first rounder.

Final Thoughts on John Michael Schmitz

Schmitz isn’t a player that fans will be blown away by when he gets his name called. Regardless, he has the potential to be a plug-and-play guy, especially he drafted by a team that runs a zone-blocking running scheme. Is he as talented as Cooper Beebe? Read and find out.