Courtesy of Vikings The Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The Minnesota Vikings have a void on offense that could lead to one of the nation’s top prospects trading his maroon and gold for purple and gold this April.
After making national buzz as arguably the best player at the Senior Bowl last week, Gophers center John Michael Schmitz has positioned himself atop his position group — an area of need for the Vikings who could see center Garrett Bradbury walk as a free agent this offseason.
“He’s the top center. Not even close,” Pro Football Focus analyst Mike Renner said.
Pioneer Press beat writer Chris Tomasson reported on February 8 that Schmitz had talked with the Vikings at the Senior Bowl — conversations that will likely continue at the NFL Combine starting February 28.
Schmitz has plenty of ties to the Vikings beyond playing for the University of Minnesota. The Flossmoor, Illinois, native is represented by former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles. Schmitz has also attended four Vikings games since he arrived in Minnesota in 2019 and was enamored by the atmosphere.
“It was electric,” Schmitz told Tomasson. “Those are some great fans. (Some) of the best fans there are.”
John Michael Schmitz Graded the Top Offensive Lineman in NCAA
A 6-foot-3, 306-pound redshirt senior, Schmitz was a first-team All-American and a finalist for the Rimmington Trophy, awarded to the best center in college football annually.
Schmitz was ranked the 17th-best prospect in college football by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and the top center in his class after posting a 92.3 overall grade, the highest grade of any offensive lineman. A piece of Minnesota’s run-heavy scheme, Schmitz excelled as a run-blocker but is also proven in pass protection. He allowed just two sacks on 302 pass-blocking snaps this season.
His 53-game resume at Minnesota spoke for itself, however, when NFL scouts and pundits saw Schmitz at the Senior Bowl, he catapulted himself to the top of many draft boards.
“John Michael-Schmitz finished with by far the highest blocking grade of any player at either All-Star game. He earned an 87.8 overall grade on the week with an 81.6 run-blocking grade and an 89.6 pass-blocking grade,” PFF’s Renner wrote following the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl. “Beyond the grade, Schmitz showed he is the kind of interior offensive lineman every team should want. He was getting in the face of some of the defenders lined up against him. He was never one to back down from a challenge. And if someone got the better of him during one rep, it rarely, if ever, happened again. If you need a center in this class, Schmitz proved he’s the one to have.”
While Schmitz is considered a top-20 player in the draft, the lower positional value at center has left him hovering as a second-round prospect, which could make him a bargain get for the Vikings.
Potential center target for the #Vikings John Michael Schmitz getting ALL the #SeniorBowl love from @PFF
“He’s a DAWG!” @TampaBayTre
“He’s the top center.. not even close” @PFF_Mike
Golden Gopher CB Terell Smith Shines at Shrine Bowl
Another Golden Gophers standout from the college All-Star games was cornerback Terell Smith. After an up-and-down season, Smith played himself into an invitation to the NFL Combine after a tremendous showing during the Shrine Bowl.
Play recognition ✅
Instincts ✅
Reaction speed ✅
Knock it down, Terell Smith!
Another great play by the @GopherFootball CB in 7-on-7s at the West practice during @ShrineBowl Day 2.
Smith took quite the path to have his day in the sun at the Shrine Bowl. He was starting for the Golden Gophers way back as a true freshman in 2018 before getting jumped on the depth chart the next two seasons, playing only 209 snaps in the process,” Renner wrote. “Smith finally won the starting job back in 2021 but struggled down the stretch due to injuries. He broke out in a big way this past fall with a 78.7 coverage grade, and that carried over to his time in Vegas. Smith forced incompletions on six of his 13 targets and allowed only five catches for 44 air yards throughout the week.
And again — another great play by Terell Smith in coverage — this time during team drills pic.twitter.com/ewSzkVqh9E
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) January 28, 2023
Smith was expected to enter the transfer portal after losing a hold on his starting job during his underclassmen years. He stuck through it and took hold of his starting role. He tied for first in passes breakups (5), tied for second in interceptions (2) and was second in tackles for loss (4.5).
Textbook squeeze here from Minnesota’s Terell Smith in West Practice Competition 1v1s.
Closes to the near hip and establishes contact before leaning on the receiver to squeeze and locate the football.
Squeezes the receiver from the numbers to the sideline➡️PBU‼️✅
Smith’s performance at the Shrine Bowl could make him a sleeper in the draft, especially as a rookie with an NFL-ready frame.
“There is always a place for long, rangy cover corners, particularly a 6-foot-1, 215-pound athlete with the capacity to play man or zone coverage. Smith is the prototypical cornerback most defensive coordinators envision on the island in their schemes. As an A-plus competitor, the Golden Gopher could rise up the charts after a solid week of work in Las Vegas,” NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks wrote.