2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: John Michael Schmitz

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John Michael Schmitz, 6-3/301 Center Minnesota

John Michael Schmitz Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Developed strength

Makes line calls; sets protection

Decent athlete

Quick out of his stance

Fast to the second level

Works well on tandem blocks with guards

Good fit for a zone-blocking scheme

Plays with good leverage

Tough

Physical

Experience against quality competition

Weaknesses:

Length limitations

Speed rushers can give him problems

Can react late to games

Summary: Schmitz was a quality starter for Minnesota ever since breaking into the lineup in 2019. He solidified the starting center position in 2020 and blocked well over the rest of his career.

As a pass blocker, Schmitz is adept at tying up defenders when he is working with a guard. He can have issues with speed rushers in one-on-one situations and reacts a little late to games up front. Versus the power rushers, Schmitz possesses sufficient strength in his base to sink his lower body and slow up bull rushers enough for his quarterback to get the ball out. Schmitz showed advanced intelligence for making line calls and setting protections at the college level.



In the ground game, Schmitz fires off the ball and has good play strength and leverage to drive defenders backward. Schmitz is very balanced and stays low to lean into his blocks. While Schmitz is not an overwhelmingly powerful player, he has quality strength, toughness and physicality. He is quick enough to the second level and shows some mobility in the open field. Schmitz is very good at hitting combo blocks with his guard and does a nice job of knocking defenders off balance.

In the 2023 NFL Draft, Schmitz could be a second-day pick. He should not go lower than the mid-rounds.



Player Comparison: Matt Paradis. Schmitz reminds me to a degree of Paradis. Paradis (6-3, 300) and Schmitz are similar in size and possess some quickness and agility. They also face similar limitations for taking on NFL defensive linemen. In the pros, I could see Schmitz topping out as a player akin to Paradis.

2023 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2023 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE, Northwestern Jordan Addison, WR, USC Will Anderson, DE, Alabama Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State Steve Avila, G, TCU Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland Micah Baskerville, LB, LSU Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse Mekhi Blackmon, CB, USC Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU Brian Branch, S, Alabama Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson Chase Brown, RB, Illinois Sydney Brown, S, Illinois Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisvile Gervon Dexter, DT, Florida Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina Max Duggan, QB, TCU Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Notre Dame Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon Derick Hall, OLB, Auburn Jaren Hall, QB, BYU Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU Broderick Jones, G, Georgia Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa Will Levis, QB, Kentucky Quan Martin, CB, Illinois Cody Mauch, G, North Dakota State Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame Will McDonald, DE, Iowa State Kenny McIntosh, RB, Georgia Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford Kendre Miller, RB, TCU Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss Cam Mitchell, CB, Northwestern Malachi Moore, S, Alabama Mike Morris, DE, Michigan Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State Zion Nelson, OT, Miami B.J. Ojulari, OLB, LSU Demarvion Overshown, LB, Texas Owen Pappoe, LB, Auburn Jarrett Patterson, C, Notre Dame Clark Phillips, CB, Utah Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan Nolan Smith, DE, Georgia Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee Joe Tippman, C, Wisconsin O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida Henry To'oTo'o, LB, Alabama Tuli Tuipulotu, DE, USC D.J. Turner, CB, Michigan Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

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