John Michael Schmitz Jr. at the center of Giants' rookies making NFL preseason debuts
Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. stretches before training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., last Friday. Credit: James Escher
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — From the moment he was drafted by the Giants in April, John Michael Schmitz Jr. has been penciled in as the starting center.
He filled a need. He came out of Minnesota with the reputation of being a cerebral player, which is a must at his position.
And in training camp, he hasn’t disappointed.
On Friday night against the Lions, Schmitz will start an NFL game for the first time. Yes, it’s “only” the preseason, but it still represents a significant step in the process, especially for a rookie.
And this rookie apparently will have his own cheering section at Detroit’s Ford Field.
A native of Flossmoor, Illinois, Schmitz told Giants.com that about 15 family members are expected to make the 3½-hour trip.
“You gotta have the good support from your family,” Schmitz said. “Just recognize the ones that got you there and helped you along with your journey. It means the world to me that they’re going to be out there supporting me.”
Schmitz is one of 15 rookies likely to make their NFL debut against the Lions.
Since the pads went on last week, Schmitz acknowledged that he feels like he’s been “on a crash course.”
“You are competing in every single play out there,” the rookie said. “I am going against some of the best defensive linemen there are” in Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. “It’s just an opportunity to keep getting better and just improve my game out there.”
Schmitz knows he still is gaining the trust of teammates.
“Right now, my main focus is just to continue to keep getting better each and every day and gain that trust with that O-line room and that offense to just prove that I can be out there, and I can make the calls and just be urgent with it.”
As we’ve come to expect from preseason games over the last several years, many veterans will be on the sidelines Friday night and will stay there.
It’s hard to believe that Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Darren Waller, Andrew Thomas, Lawrence, Williams, Xavier McKinney, Adoree’ Jackson or Azeez Ojulari will play.
Surely, the list of players who will not take the field will grow before gametime.
The Giants and Lions got their work in – good work according to Giants coach Brian Daboll and Lions coach Dan Campbell – in joint practices Tuesday and Wednesday at the Lions facility in Allen Park, Michigan.
The most interesting part of Friday night from the Giants' perspective might be seeing all seven of the 2023 draft entire class on the field at some point.
That includes first-round cornerback Deonte Banks, third-round wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, fifth-round running back Eric Gray, who might return kicks, cornerback Tre Hawkins, defensive lineman Jordon Riley and safety Gervarrius Owens. Hawkins has had an outstanding camp, spending several practices working with the starters.
Banks said he is excited to make his NFL preseason debut.
“It’s my first one, being in those big stadiums,” he told Giants.com. “And it’s a warm-up to get ready for all the rest of the games that are coming.”
Hyatt has had an exceptional training camp. He is a blur. On the Ford Field turf, his speed may really stand out.
“Definitely a blessing for me, just to go out there with the guys, my teammates,” Hyatt told Giants.com. “I’m ready to show what I can do. It’s going to be fun. I’ve always wanted to be in the league, always wanted to be in the NFL. To be here with the Giants is a dream come true.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
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