Tag: john michael schmitz

PFF names John Michael Schmitz a breakout candidate for Giants

The New York Giants are perched on the precipice of success as they head into the 2024 season. General manager Joe Schoen is in the third year of his tenure and many believe the fruits of his labor are about to flourish.

There are a slew of players who could break out in a big way this season from linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, tackle Evan Neal, and cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Cor’Dale Flott to wide receivers Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt.

In a recent rundown of possible breakout players among NFC teams this year, Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker believes second-year center John Michael Schmitz will be the Giants’ top breakout candidate.

NEW YORK GIANTS: C JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ

There’s really nowhere to go but up for Schmitz after a thoroughly disappointing first season, in which he posted a 41.4 overall grade and a 26.9 pass-blocking grade as a rookie. If you’re looking for solace, his run-blocking grade was a bit better (51.3), and it’s worth noting that eight of his 30 pressures allowed came in Week 18.

Schmitz, a second-round pick out of Minnesota, started 13 games as a rookie last year missing four games in October with a shoulder injury. He was injured (along with tight end Daniel Bellinger) in the Giants’ Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in a poor attempt to execute the “tush push.”

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Giants’ John Michael Schmitz reveals his ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment

New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz had an up-and-down rookie season in 2023 and appears to be ready to take the next step to become one of the NFL’s top centers.

Schmitz started 13 games for Big Blue as a rookie and showed signs of his draft pedigree (he was taken 57th overall in Round 2 last year) and was named to Bucky Brooks’ 2023 All-Rookie Team.

In a recent interview with KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, where Schmitz played his college ball for the Gophers of Minnesota, he reflected on his “welcome to the NFL” moment from last year.

“I would say going against one of the best nose tackles in the NFL every single day at practice,” he said. “Dexter Lawrence — he’ll definitely make you a lot better real quick. He’s a great player (and) great person off the field as well. He just pushes you to be a better player.”

Schmitz isn’t the only Gopher on the Giants’ roster. Carter Coughlin, a reserve linebacker and special teams ace who was recently re-signed, has helped Schmitz along with his acclimation to the New York and the NFL.

“It’s great. I mean, we definitely just chit-chat about everything,” Schmitz said. “You go through your thought times and, obviously, me and him being pretty close with the Gophers. . . it’s nice to have someone like that, that I already have a bond with. Just someone to kind of lean on and ask those questions, like, ‘Hey, can you help me out here?’ Like, ‘What do I do?’ It’s nice to have a Gopher on the team.”

Meanwhile, Schmitz is already working hard this offseason and plans to arrive at organized team activities (OTAs) in regular season shape.

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Giants’ interior offensive line was worse in 2023 than you realize

The New York Giants’ offensive line has been one of the league’s worst over the past decade and one of the main reasons they have sunk to the bottom of the NFL standings.

Many thought the team had taken care of the line by using major resources in the draft and in free agency in recent years but to little avail.

If anything, the line has gotten worse.

Last season, the Giants allowed 85 sacks, the second most in NFL history behind the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles (104) and 20 more than any other team allowed.

More specifically, their interior offensive line surrendered more sacks than the entire five-man unit of 20 NFL teams.

The Giants have an All-Pro left tackle in Andrew Thomas, but he missed seven games in the first half of the season due to a hamstring issue. Right tackle Evan Neal, another top-10 draft pick, was also hampered by injuries and has been largely inconsistent.

The Giants drafted a top center last year in John Michael Schmitz, but he injured his shoulder on a poorly executed version of the ‘tush push’ causing him to miss four games.

The Giants’ guards were also in flux. Ben Bredeson got the most playing time and injuries to others led them to pull veteran Justin Pugh “off the couch.”

The results showed as the Giants were clearly dominated in the offensive trenches last season. This year, they believe they’ve cauterized the wounds by signing veterans Jon Runyon Jr., and Jermaine Eluemunor to fill the guard roles.

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New York Giants don’t fare well in 2023 NFL draft re-grade

The jury is still out on the 2023 NFL draft class but Diante Lee of The Athletic recently decided to grade the class after just one season.

The New York Giants had seven picks in the draft leading off with Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks at No. 24 overall. He started 15 games and was solid most of the season. He is now considered a No. 1 outside corner, so they appear to have made a good choice in him.

Banks was not likely the Giants’ first choice on their board, however. They were said to be in the market for a wide receiver and it just so happens that four studs were chosen right before they were on the clock in Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnson, May Flowers, and Jordan Addison.

The rest of the draft is still very much a mystery as injuries and underuse left much to be desired.

New York Giants: C-minus

Deonte Banks (No. 24) was a fun watch coming out of college and as a rookie showed the speed, physicality and competitive edge that made him a late riser in the draft process. Jalin Hyatt (No. 73) flashed some downfield ball-tracking skills, but he didn’t separate enough last season to be considered a long-term piece of this offense.

This year, the Giants hope to see some growth in center John Michael Schmitz, cornerback Tre Hawkins III, safety Gervarrius Owens, and defensive lineman Jordon Riley.

Eric Gray is expected to help fill the void left by Saquon Barkley and Hyatt still has to earn the trust of the coaches and quarterbacks.

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New York Giants’ offensive building blocks ranked among NFL’s worst

The New York Giants’ roster has improved from where it was two years ago when general manager Joe Schoen took over.

In his first offseason as GM, the Giants were in salary cap hell and extremely limited in the moves they could make. Things cleared up a bit last year but there still wasn’t a massive spending spree.

Although some positions have seen a boost, the Giants remain needy — especially on the offensive side of the ball.

That’s something Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recognized this week as he ranked every team’s offensive building blocks. The Giants checked in near the bottom under the “jury’s very much out” category.

22. New York Giants: The Giants are loaded with young offensive players who have failed to show significant signs of becoming major contributors. The list? It starts with practically the entire offensive line beyond 25-year-old Andrew Thomas (namely John Michael Schmitz and Evan Neal, who are 24 and 24, respectively), and spans into the pass-catching corps with Wan’Dale Robinson (23), Jalin Hyatt (22) and Daniel Bellinger (23). Meh.

Certainly, elite tackle Andrew Thomas gives the Giants one of the league’s top building blocks. After that, it is seemingly a bunch of unproven young players.

Wan’Dale Robinson showed flashes this past season. However, he needs to continue trending in the right direction and, most importantly, stay on the field.

As for John Michael Schmitz and Evan Neal, the Giants hope they can be long-term solutions on the offensive line. However, Neal is looking like a bust and Schmitz was a mixed bag during his rookie season.

Schoen has plenty of work to do to improve the roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Given the status of the offense, it would be no surprise if they spent their first few picks in the draft on offensive players and focused heavily on the O-line in free agency.

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CBS Sports ranks Giants’ 2023 rookie class in bottom half of NFL

The New York Giants made seven picks in the 2023 NFL draft and most felt confident that general manager Joe Schoen had made the right calls.

In need of talent at multiple positions, the Giants fared well with their limited stock, adding cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz, and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt with their first three selections.

They rounded things out with running back Eric Gray, cornerback Tre Hawkins III, defensive lineman Jordon Riley, and safety Gervarrius Owens.

All seven of those players saw time on the field this past season but the results weren’t quite what the Giants had hoped. Injuries derailed the development of several rookies while others were stunted due to misuse (see: Gray as a punt returner).

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently ranked all 32 draft classes from 2023 and the Giants landed in the bottom half of the league. However, he did credit them with two hits: Banks and Hyatt.

Hyatt didn’t exactly rekindle all of the magic he had at Tennessee winning down the field on a regular basis. But averaging over 16 yards per snag as a rookie demonstrated there’s a bright future for him if the development as a route runner continues. Sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins was respectable as a rotational cornerback. Second-round pick John Michael Schmitz really struggled with power before his injury. Banks had some hiccups in coverage but mostly dealt with No. 1 receivers in man coverage and snagged two picks while knocking away 11 passes.

Banks has the makings of a solid, long-term CB1 and although he struggled at times, Schmitz still has plenty of upside. Hyatt also performed better than his stats would indicate. He suffered due to poor offensive line and quarterback play.

The Giants remain hopeful that Hawkins can develop into a starter and that Riley eventually becomes a dominant interior defender.

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New York Giants’ John Michael Schmitz named to NFL All-Rookie Team

New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz had an up-and-down rookie campaign. There were moments he flashed and other moments he seemed entirely overwhelmed.

Toss in an injury that caused him to miss some time and Schmitz probably isn’t writing home about his first NFL season.

Still, at the center position, there weren’t many rookies who fared better. And for that reason, Bucky Brooks has named Schmitz to his 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team.

The scrappy pivot performed well as a first-year starter in the middle of the Giants’ line. Schmitz’s intelligence, athleticism and competitiveness showed up repeatedly as he held his own against the monstrous nose tackles opposite him.

Despite the praise from Brooks, Schmitz finished last among 37 qualifying centers with an overall Pro Football Focus grade of just 41.4. His pass blocking grade of 26.9 was also dead last among qualifying centers.

There were times throughout the season that Schmitz also appeared to lean heavily on guard Justin Pugh, who routinely tipped the snap.

Schmitz has a high ceiling and could be an anchor for the Giants in the future, but he’ll need to significantly improve in Year 2 if he wants to hang onto that job long-term.

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New York Giants’ Jason Pinnock out vs. Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18

The New York Giants closed out their practice slate on Friday afternoon, wrapping up their third session (one being a walkthrough) in three days and their last of the season.

Beforehand, head coach Brian Daboll delivered the bad news that safety Jason Pinnock would miss Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles as the result of a toe injury.

“He won’t make the game,” Daboll revealed.

The news wasn’t as bad for several other players on the injury report, but Daboll did acknowledge that rookie cornerback Deonte Banks and rookie center John Michael Schmitz may end up as game-time decisions.

“Two guys that’ll be practicing today, Banks and John Michael,” Daboll said. “We’ll see where they’re at after practice.”

Meanwhile, safety Dane Belton returned to practice after missing Thursday’s session due to a non-injury-related personal issue.

Full injury reports for both the Giants and Eagles can be found below.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Out: S Jason Pinnock (toe)

Doubtful: CB Deonte Banks (shoulder)

Questionable: OL John Michael Schmitz (shin)

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Out: N/A

Doubtful: N/A

Questionable: N/A

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John Michael Schmitz not practicing

The New York Giants returned to the field on Wednesday ahead of a Week 18 game against the Philadelphia Eagles — their regular season finale.

Similar to a week ago, the Giants opted to go with a Wednesday walkthrough as opposed to a full practice.

“We’re going to do similar to what we did last week, which will be more of a walkthrough,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters.

The bad news was that two players were unable to participate in the walkthrough, indicating they are unlikely to play on Sunday afternoon.

“Pinnock will not do the walkthrough and John Michael won’t do the walkthrough,” Daboll said. “It’s more of (Pinnock’s) toe than it is his foot so we’ll see how it goes this week.

“Lower leg, ankle, kind of got leg-whipped a little bit in the game so we’ll see where (Schmitz) is at. Sore today.”

The Giants’ full (projected) Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: OL John Michael Schmitz (lower leg), S Jason Pinnock (toe)

Limited participant: CB Detone Banks (shoulder), LB Carter Coughlin (shoulder), CB Darnay Holmes (foot), QB Tyrod Taylor (back)

Full participant: N/A

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5 biggest storylines for Week 17

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants are abandoning the Tommy DeVito experiment — for now. Head coach Brian Daboll announced that Tyrod Taylor would be taking over the starting job after he added some much-needed spark during last week’s loss to the Eagles.

“He’s, to start with, a really good person,” Daboll told reporters on Friday. “Obviously, he’s been through a lot in his career, his 13 years in the NFL. He’s the model of a true professional, how he takes care of himself, how he prepares, how he is with his teammates. That’s why he’s been in the league for so long.

“So, I think all the stuff that he does, whether it’s (being) in really early, lifting in the weight room, how he is in the meetings, how he is with guys in the huddle, it’s kind of been built over the years, but I really think that’s who he is as a person and how he was raised. Incredible human being.”

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