Giants Center John Michael Schmitz Has Made the Most Strides in This Area

It’s been a slow go for New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz, but in this, his third NFL season, the former University of Minnesota center has made his biggest leap forward yet.

Per Pro Football Focus, Schmitz has allowed just one sack and 12 pressures in 343 pass-blocking snaps for a 98.1 pass-blocking efficiency rating, which puts him in the top 20 among centers with at least 250 pass-blocking snaps.

Schmitz is also ranked 16th in run blocking among that same sample size, with a 62.8 grade; those numbers all represent some of the best in his three-year NFL career.

According to Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, experience has done wonders for the Giants' 2023 second-round draft pick.

“You see him hold the point a little better, doing a better job within the pass protection of playing long, punching guys, and playing with the proper posture,” Bricillo said when asked where Schmitz made the biggest strides.

Schmitz’s mental game has also evolved in terms of setting protections, according to Bricillo.

“He's just been tremendous, which is to be expected 'cause he cares and he studies setting the table and just distributing the blockers well, and communicating to the front,” he said.

“We put a lot on our centers, and he does a tremendous job in getting us set and going to the right people.”

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz (61) lines up against the New Orleans Saints defense during the first half at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Bricillo pointed to what he calls “cog school,” which is run before practice by James Ferentz, the Giants' assistant offensive line coach and former NFL center, who works with the interior guys on technique.

“James does a great job working with that technique, obviously having been a center and played 10 years in the NFL, and John Michael has improved this technique.”

Technique aside, Bricillo also points to Schmitz’s physical growth in terms of strength and filling out his body to better withstand the rigors of life in the pit.

“We talked about it early in training camp as far as this is a guy in year three in the NFL,” Bricillo said.

“Physically, your body is still developing, like we think, ‘Oh, okay–he came from a Big 10 school,’ but he's still getting stronger. And you see that being applied to the field.

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