While he's far from the finished product the Giants are looking for, there are signs that John-Michael Schmitz is making strides in Year 2.
For the Giants to justify their investment of their second-round pick (57th overall) in last year's draft in him, he needed to improve significantly from his rookie year.
After two games, the second-year center has earned a 60.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
That's 22nd among all NFL centers but is an improvement from last year's 41.4 overall rating.
He has yet to allow a sack this year, but has allowed one quarterback hit and three quarterback pressures, according to the outlet.
“I think he's grown a lot this year,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said Thursday, “being good at communicating, going from year one to year two is always kind of a leap. When you have a veteran, there's a sense of urgency for him to develop, and he's grown with it and developed with it, and that's really great to see.”
That communication is what Schmitz's coaches and teammates are most interested in seeing in his development.
The Giants have three new starters on the offensive line, but they credit Schmitz with bringing the team together right away, and the unit has emerged as one of the few rays of hope for the franchise after years of ineptitude.
Jon Runyan Jr., who started next to Schmitz at left guard for the first two games, praised Schmitz's ability to guide the rest of the offensive line.
“I feel like confidence is a big part of communication,” Schmitz told The Post after practice on Friday. “Especially the guys around you trusting you to make decisions and go out there and be ready for the line.”
New veterans like Runyan, right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemnoor have been crucial to Schmitz “mentally and in terms of their knowledge of the game.”
After six years in Minnesota, Schmitz was drafted as an immediate plug-and-play center, but he still has a lot of work to do to get to that status.
But he appears to be on that path.
“You can see him getting more confident this year,” star left tackle Andrew Thomas said. [middle linebacker] “My ability to score points and understand the calls is also important. I was plagued by injuries last year and being healthy this year is a plus.”
