The Giants need more from JMS in Year 3
Pro Football Focus recently named New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz as the team’s top breakout candidate heading into the 2025 season.
After struggling through a rough rookie season in 2023, where he was graded as the lowest-ranked center in the NFL, Schmitz took a significant step forward last year. He played nearly 1,000 snaps in 2024 and climbed to 31st out of 43 centers in overall offensive grade. That might not sound like a dramatic leap, but it marks real progress for a player who was once considered a major liability.
Most of Schmitz’s growth came in the run game, where he finished 17th among all centers, a big improvement from his 34th-place run-blocking rank as a rookie. He also held up better in pass protection, allowing fewer pressures even with a heavier workload. According to PFF, he gave up just one more sack than he did in 2023 despite 162 more pass-blocking snaps.
Year 3 can be critical for offensive linemen, and Schmitz is showing signs that he’s on the right path. His performance in 2024 showed enough to believe there’s more upside to unlock.
The Giants are counting on their offensive line to finally stabilize, and Schmitz anchoring the middle is a key part of that puzzle. If he continues trending in the right direction, PFF’s prediction won’t just look accurate it might even look conservative.
