By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
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.
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2023 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
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