The New York Giants expect their rookie class to contribute right away this season as they attempt to follow up on their surprising 2022 campaign where they qualified for the postseason for the first time in six seasons.
Their top pick, Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, is expected to start right away and make an impact in the Giants’ secondary.
So is the team’s second-round pick, Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz, selected No. 57 overall. Schmitz was projected by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter as an Offensive All-Rookie Team honoree this season.
Schmitz is plugged into the middle of the Giants’ line as a rookie, where I expect him to play for the next decade. The sturdy pivot is effective in space and will lead the group up front to give quarterback Daniel Jones an opportunity to succeed.
Schmitz was not the first center picked in this year’s draft. Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann was taken 14 picks before by the New York Jets.
Schmitz is currently penciled in as the Giants’ starter at center heading into training camp later this month. It’s basically his job to lose.
Schmitz is ready to assume the mantle at center for the Giants. In a recent article, we outlined what the Giants were getting in Schmitz as per his college coach, P.J. Fleck.
“He’s one of the greatest people off the field, one of the best connectors of a locker room that you’ll ever meet,” Fleck said. “However, when he’s on that football field, he is a nasty, nasty human being. That’s what you want because you’re creating that identity of what you’re going to become as a program, especially when you’re in the Big Ten, and especially when you’re in the North and in the Mid-American Conference. You’ve got to be able to impose your will, and we believe strongly in that.”
