The New York Giants’ offensive line has taken major strides this season after years of being among the NFL’s worst units. Helping to achieve their newfound success is second-year center John Michael Schmitz. After a putrid rookie campaign, Schmitz has seemingly taken that next step this season.
John Michael Schmitz has helped get the Giants’ offensive line back on track
In 2023-24, Schmitz was among the worst offensive linemen in football. Granted, he was dealing with injuries and playing through pain, but he statistically graded out near the bottom of every offensive lineman category. Schmitz’s 41.4 overall Pro Football Focus grade ranked 36/36 among all centers in the NFL last season. He surrendered 30 pressures and five sacks across 755 total snaps as a rookie.
This season, however, Schmitz has greatly improved his play. He currently has a 61.7 overall PFF grade through four weeks, a 20-point increase from last season. Schmitz has only surrendered six pressures and zero sacks across 265 snaps this season. His PFF grade ranks 20/40 among all centers.
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Another key factor in Schmitz’s success this season has been his health. He’s managed to stay healthy this season despite being banged up again during the preseason. He missed four games due to injuries last year and played through pain in many of the 13 games he started. Now healthy and playing alongside some decent talent on the Giants’ offensive line, Schmitz is finally starting to look like the premier talent New York thought they drafted in the second round last year.
It is a long season and Schmitz still has some work to do. However, the Giants are surely encouraged by what they’ve seen from the 25-year-old through the first quarter of the season. Schmitz was labeled a “pro-ready” prospect coming out of last year’s draft and received some buzz as a potential first-round draft pick. Ultimately, the Giants landed him in Round 2, hopefully solidifying the center position for years to come.
