Can the Giants center take the next step in his third year?
The New York Giants are facing a pivotal season in 2025.
They need to show improvement or ownership will once again be forced to clean house. The Giants also have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, and have many players who are technically veterans but also need to improve for the team to be competitive this year and beyond.
This week we asked the Big Blue View community which of the Giants’ young vets you think will make a leap in play this year.
Of the four options we gave, Evan Neal, John Michael Schmitz, Deonte Banks, and Jalin Hyatt, fans are most confident that JMS will improve.
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To a certain extent, it isn’t surprising that Schmitz is the fan favorite to make a leap in 2025. He’s flashed through his first two years and was a highly regarded prospect who was widely seen as the best center in his class. It can also be a bit difficult to tease out Schmitz’s struggles from the turmoil surrounding him — did a guard miss an assignment? Did the quarterback fail to properly identify pressure and set the protection?
Schmitz has his issues that he needs to iron out on the technique side. However better play around him would also help him improve as well.
What is a bit surprising is how lopsided the results are. Coming into this, I expected the top two — whoever they may be — to be relatively close together. However, Schmitz leading Banks by 19 points is pretty commanding.
It’s also interesting to me that Hyatt came in last.
He was the first player spotlighted in what will be our “Make or Break” series. And in watching every one of his 202 snaps on offense, I came away believing that he is a much better player than he’s been able to show. However, he simply hasn’t had the opportunity with few passes going his way. And that, perhaps, does figure into his perception. If he isn’t targeted, it comes down to dedicated tape study to see how well a receiver is playing.
Offensive linemen, at least, are front and center (pun intended), and featured heavily on TV every play.
