John Michael Schmitz Complete NFL Draft Profile (Minnesota Center Ready to Make Week 1 Impact)

Center John Michael Schmitz did a terrific job at manning the Minnesota Golden Gophers' offensive line last fall, earning some well-deserved hype ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. Offensive linemen might not be the flashiest prospects, but there's no doubt that any team that lands Schmitz will have a better o-line because of it.

Here's everything you need to know about John Michael Schmitz heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.

John Michael Schmitz Draft Stock & Mock Draft Projections

Mock draft sources accurate as of 4/19: Walter Football, Sporting News, CBS, Pro Football Network, ESPN, Mel Kiper, Todd McShay.

Projected Draft Round: Round 2 (7)
Projected Team: Jets (2), Cardinals (1), Texans (1), Seahawks (1), Giants (1), Commanders (1)

John Michael Schmitz Scouting Report

Opposing defenders had a tough time getting by John Michael Schmitz in 2022. The Minnesota center only allowed two sacks, five hurries and one quarterback hit on 767 offensive snaps, earning him an impressive 92.3 overall grade on Pro Football Focus.

Schmitz has great size for a center, standing over 6-foot-3 and weight 301 pounds. While he does a solid job at protecting QBs, he's also been talked about as the best blocker in the class. It helps that he's quick at times, always ending up in the right place to dump a defender with his impressive strength.

There are some things that scouts would like him to improve upon, though. For starters, Schmitz sometimes stops moving whenever he makes contact, occasionally leaving him out of position. He's also only played center at the collegiate level, limiting where potential NFL coaches can use him.

John Michael Schmitz NFL Draft Prediction

John Michael Schmitz is more than deserving of the praise he got from the highlighted mock drafts. He's a terrific o-line prospect who likely won't have any issues slotting in come Week 1. Sure, he has weaknesses, but they're all in areas that are coachable.

I really do like the prospect of him being drafted by the New York Jets. As it stands, Trystan Colon-Castillo is the only center on the Jets' roster, per Spotrac. Given how expensive New York's o-line is at the moment, it's a no-brainer to add someone as talented as Schmitz on a rookie deal.

With the potential to be a starter right out of training camp, Schmitz would be more than worth a second-round selection — regardless of who's under center this fall.

Prediction: New York Jets (Round 2, 43rd overall)

Check out more NFL Draft content from The Duel:

John Michael Schmitz NFL Combine Results

John Michael Schmitz Minnesota Stats

John Michael Schmitz Minnesota Highlights

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.