How John Michael Schmitz became one of the stars of the Senior Bowl
John Michael Schmitz established himself as one of the top centers in the Big Ten during his time with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but after last weekend's Senior Bowl, he's on track to be one of the top offensive linemen in this year's NFL Draft.
Schmitz was one of the standouts in the leadup to Saturday's game in Mobile, Ala. as he showed off the tools that made him an All-Big Ten First Team Selection and All-America selection last season.
Pro Football Focus's Trevor Sikkema was one analyst that was impressed by the former Gopher, citing his ability to move in space and his tenacity in the trenches.
"He's been all over the place man," Sikkema said. "He's been dominating the one-on-ones, the run blocking reps the pass blocking reps ... he gives you a little bit of attitude. He will fight through the whistle and make sure that he is winning the rep no matter what and [then] he gives you a little something at the end."
Sikkema's assessment can be validated by watching Schmitz on screens and running plays. After handling his initial block, Schmitz is always looking for someone at the next level, which turns solid plays into huge gains.
FantasyPros draft analyst Thor Nystrom believes that a lot of Schmitz's qualities result from his time with the Gophers, who pulled Schmitz all over the field to help fuel an offense that ranked 16th in the nation with 207.3 rushing yards per game.
"The Gophers did things with him that you don't see other collegiate centers doing," Nystrom said during an interview on SKOR North's Purple Daily podcast. "[They're] snapping the ball and pulling around the tackle and taking [on] an extra defender on the outside. You don't see guys doing that and he consistently picked off linebackers. It's second-level stuff like that."
Graded as PFF's top-graded run-blocking center last season, Schmitz proved his worth in Mobile, but he excels in pass-blocking as well.
Schmitz allowed just eight pressures on 302 pass-blocking snaps and his PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 13th among qualifying centers with a minimum of 222 total snaps. During practice, Michael-Schmitz frequently stonewalled opposing pass-rushers either tossing them to the side or stopping them in their tracks.
"Schmitz has been a model of consistency throughout his career," ESPN's Jordan Reid said in his Senior Bowl preview. "...He has the ability to anchor and stall defenders who are attempting to attack his frame and his skill set aligns well with drills that emphasize short-area quickness. Schmitz's combination of hand power, core strength and awareness will serve him well during the one-on-one portions of practices."
Schmitz's performance gained a ton of fans including The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who listed him as a Day 2 pick entering the week but declared him as one of the "winners" of the Senior Bowl and has him ranked second among centers in this year's draft behind Wisconsin's Joe Tippman.
"When he keeps his hands and feet in concert, Schmitz can set down his anchor or effortlessly hook and out-leverage defenders," Brugler wrote. "At Senior Bowl practices, he also showed off his movements away from the line of scrimmage to pave the way on screen passes."
PFF's Mike Renner also believes that Schmitz's performance elevated him as the top center in this year's class.
"I don't think it's a debate at this point," Renner said. "Maybe you move [Northwestern guard] Peter Skoronski to center but of guys that played center in college, it's not even close. He's not a high-end athlete like [Baltimore Ravens center] Tyler Linderbaum was coming out...but in space and on screens...he locates linebackers. He's not getting exposed. He has that balance and natural fluidity."
It also has Thor Nystrom believing that he could be a riser beginning with next month's NFL Scouting Combine and a late-first or early-second-round pick in April's draft.
"After seeing him here, he's not falling beyond the top 50 [picks]," Nystrom said. "...I think he will be a riser throughout the process and he's someone to keep an eye on."
