The New York Giants are in need of a center this offseason. They currently have just one player on their roster who can fill the bill and that is guard Ben Bredeson.
Last year’s starting center, Jon Feliciano, is a free agent and remains unsigned. Nick Gates, another former center, signed a three-year deal with Washington last week.
Many believe the Giants will pick a center in the upcoming NFL draft. Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports sees the Giants trading back in the first round from No. 25 overall to No. 31 overall with the Kansas City Chiefs and then selecting Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz.
There are several good centers in this class — John Michael Schmitz, Luke Wypler, Joe Tippmann, Steve Avila (if his NFL future isn’t at guard) … and we have Day 2 grades on all of them. But the Giants traded down to the bottom of Round 1, and they have a glaring need in the middle of the offensive line. Added bonus: they’ll get the fifth-year option on Schmitz here, too. (Kansas City gets pick No. 25; New York gets picks No. 31, 122, 217).
Very few would knock Giants general manager Joe Schoen should he make such a move. The Giants haven’t had a Pro Bowl-level center in over a decade.
Schmitz, at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, is a big athletic presence in the middle and would serve as the glue of the offensive line for the foreseeable future.
