Pat Leonard: Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz a hot NFL Draft commodity with Jets, Giants and more

Jets coaches had dinner with Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz on March 27 and put him through a private workout in Minneapolis on March 28. Then Schmitz came to Florham Park for a top-30 visit this past Monday and Tuesday.

Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson dined with Schmitz on March 14, the night before the Golden Gophers’ pro day, then ran Minnesota’s offensive line workout.

Both New York teams have a clear need at center. Both teams have either a late first-round pick (Giants, No. 25 overall) or the capital to move there (Jets, No. 42 and 43 overall).

Stiff competition is shaping up for a player many teams view as the top center in this draft. But Daniel Jones could use a long-time partner at the pivot, and Aaron Rodgers – whenever he gets here – will need someone who can plug in and go.

Schmitz would give either team what they needed immediately.

“I can fit in any scheme,” Schmitz told the Tennessee Titans website at the Senior Bowl. “I’m a leader. I’m a tough player. And I like to finish the play.

The NFL Draft’s late first round and second round have become prime real estate for teams to snag plug-and-play centers.

The Baltimore Ravens took Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum last year at the exact same pick, No. 25 overall, that the Giants own now. The New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs both got their starting centers in recent second rounds.

The Saints picked Erik McCoy No. 48 overall out of Texas A&M in 2019. The Chiefs selected Creed Humphrey No. 63 overall out of Oklahoma in 2021.

Humphrey (98%) and McCoy (97%) ranked first and tied for second, respectively, in center pass block win rate last season, per ESPN. Linderbaum (77%) and Humphrey (76%) ranked first and second, respectively, in center run block win rate.

And Humphrey just helped the Chiefs win another Super Bowl.

In this year’s draft, Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann (6-6, 313 pounds), an Honorable Mention All-Big 10 selection, is a 22-year-old, two-year starter and redshirt junior with upside. And Ohio State’s Luke Wypler (6-3, 303) is a projected second or third-rounder the Giants have shown interest in.

But Schmitz, 24, arrives in the NFL with six years and 35 starts at center under his belt at Minnesota. The nearly 6-4, 309-pound Gopher was named a 2022 First-Team All-American.

He aced Johnson’s test of protection schemes when the Giants O-line coach quizzed him prior to his pro day. And one of Schmitz’s agents, Jeremiah Sirles, is a former Bills offensive lineman who knows Johnson well from their time together in Buffalo in 2019.

So that’s a direct line for Big Blue as the draft nears.

“You gotta be a leader,” Schmitz said in late January. “You gotta be smart, and you gotta have that grit factor, just be that guy that connects the team together. And you gotta be a really good communicator on the line, to make sure everyone knows the call and everyone knows what they’re doing.”

The question is how long he will last on the draft board on April 27. The Giants and Jets are far from the only teams showing keen interest in Schmitz.

And if a team isn’t picking or trading into the late first or early second round, it probably won’t get him.

The Seahawks appear to present a significant threat. They had dinner with Schmitz on Thursday and were scheduled to conduct a private workout with him on Friday.

Seattle holds picks No. 5 and 20 in the first round, No. 37 and 52 in the second round, and has a GM in John Schneider who likes to move around the board.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who hold pick No. 32 at the top of the second round, had Schmitz in for an early top-30 visit on March 23-24.

The Minnesota Vikings, who hold the No. 23 overall pick, have Schmitz scheduled for a top-30 visit next week.

Schmitz also has had numerous Zoom calls with coaches from a long list of teams that includes the Houston Texans (twice), Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos.

The Texans (No. 33), Titans (No. 41), Colts (No. 35), Bills (No. 27) and Packers (No. 45) all hold picks in the late first or early second round.

Every team’s board evolves, of course, once the draft actually begins.

Teams like the Giants and Vikings who also need corners will have a decision to make late in the first round, for example, which will prompt conversations and force a GM to prioritize and evaluate his options at a position later in the draft if he pivots.

There is too much smoke around Schmitz in the late first and early second round to ignore, though. NFL teams are showing what they think of him with their actions, especially through the extensive homework of teams like the Jets and Seahawks.

He might end up in New York. He’ll definitely help his new team on day one.