Gophers 2023 NFL Draft Preview: JMS, T-Time, Ibrahim, Morgan, Howden and others

By: Tony Liebert |

–> The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off this Thursday. Gophers John Michael Schmitz, Terell Smith, Jordan Howden and Mohamed Ibrahim are expected to hear their names called and a few others could find themselves on training camp rosters. I am here to tell you what people are saying about them all.

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John Michael Schmitz

John Michael Schmitz was the Gophers’ best NFL Draft prospect all season. As a Rimington Trophy runner-up, there were many who thought he was the best center in college football last season. Center is one of the least valuable positions in football when it comes to drafting, so he might not be a “blue-chip” prospect, but after an elite pre-draft process, there are many who view him as the best center in this draft and he has a great chance to hear his name called on day one.

Scouting report: “Schmitz was the single highest-graded center in the FBS this past season at 92.4 overall. He’s on the bigger side for the position at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds yet did his best work on the move in an outside-zone-heavy Minnesota scheme.”

  • ESPN:
    • 47th OVR
    • 2nd C

Scouting report: “Schmitz is a powerful drive blocker who finishes at a high rate. He’s an effective zone blocker who understands angles and presses the play-side shoulder. He gets set quickly, rewraps his hands and rarely gives ground to bull rushers in pass protection. He masks average mirror-and-slide quickness with great awareness and good balance.”

Scouting report: “Schmitz is a powerful center that offers the kind of stature that would shine in an inside zone and between-the-tackles gap running system. Offering effective punch and pad power as a run blocker, Schmitz projects as someone capable of generating the needed wash in the front to allow backs and lead blockers to hit gaps with confidence. There’s a stout anchor in pass protection present here as well. Schmitz does well against both interior blockers and second-level pressure players to slam the door shut and sit down on his hips to prevent collapse into his quarterback’s lap. What really got me excited, however, was the ability to execute cut-off and reach blocks when runs needed to gain a man to the run strength—Schmitz showcased surprising lateral mobility but also very efficient hands to twist and manipulate defenders to allow his guard to push and release to the second level. Furthermore, I thought he was a cerebral player with his strike timing and attacks to either create a firm stun punch or deconstruct defenders and get them off of their base at the point of attack. A multi-year starter at center, this is a player who identifies pressure opportunities with consistency, he processes front movement well and stays patient to ensure action doesn’t fold back his way before committing and pushing off his landmark to transition into a help blocker.”

Scouting report: “A four-year starter at Minnesota, Schmitz was the anchor of the offensive line at center in offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s balanced scheme. Despite losing four starters on the offensive line, the Gophers ranked top-15 nationally in rushing offense in 2022 behind Schmitz, who earned All-American status as a senior (first Minnesota All-American on the offensive line since 2005). A physical brawler with a wrestling background, Schmitz is at his best in the run game where his aggressive hands and grip strength allow him to create displacement (Fleck: “It also helps when your best player is your hardest worker.”). However, the main concern for his NFL transition is his tendency to lose his balance, especially vs. quick interior penetrators. Overall, Schmitz must do a better job keeping his feet, hands and eyes on the same page, but he has the play strength and finishing attitude to execute at the NFL level. With improved consistency, he can be a functional pro starter.”

  • NFL.com (Daniel Jeremiah)
    • 48th OVR
    • 4th IOL

Scouting report: “Schmitz is a strong, tough and reliable center prospect out of Minnesota. In the pass game, he plays with knee bend, balance and awareness. He uses his inside hand as an under hook to latch and control blockers. He is rarely out of position or driven back. In the run game, he can latch, sink his weight and create movement. He is under control working up to the second level. He lacks elite quickness and change of direction in space, but he’s functional. Sources at the school rave about his leadership. Overall, Schmitz should be a quality starting center as soon as he enters the league.”

Five most likely teams:

  • Giants (No. 29 and 57th overall)
  • Seahawks (No. 20, 37 and 52nd overall)
  • Bills (No. 27 and 59th overall)
  • Commanders (No. 16 and 47th overall)
  • Vikings (No. 23 and 87 overall)

Terell Smith

Terell “T-Time” Smith has seen the biggest rise in the pre-draft process out of Gophers prospects. After running a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine it caught the eyes of many NFL scouts. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds he has a great frame along with impressive athleticism. ESPN seems to be the highest on him, but many see him as a day two or day three sleeper in this draft class.

  • ESPN:
    • 115th OVR
    • 16th CB

Scouting report: “Smith has experience playing multiple positions and coverages, but he’s at his best as a press-man corner. He has long arms, is physical within the first five yards and can run with almost all wide receivers. Smith is tough, works to get off blocks and has developed into a much more reliable tackler.”

Scouting report: “A three-year starter at Minnesota, Smith was an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s mixed coverage scheme. After making a splash as a true freshman for the Gophers, he was lost in the wilderness for a few years before producing his best season as a senior, leading the team in passes defended. Smith has impressive top-end speed and foot quickness that allows him to stay attached to routes, although his mirror transitions can get clunky at times. His matchup against Charlie Jones on the 2022 Purdue tape was a great example of what he does well and where he still needs to improve. Overall, Smith can be baited off course and leaves too much production on the field, but he has an intriguing blend of length, speed and physicality to match up with NFL receivers on the outside. He is a physical press-man corner prospect.”

  • NFL.com (Daniel Jeremiah)
    • Grade: 6.29
    • 11th CB

Scouting report: “Ascending cornerback with an outstanding combination of size, speed and toughness. Smith’s technique and game film improved from 2021 to 2022. He stays low and patient in his backpedal. He has above-average footwork for a cornerback his size, which allows him to mirror the release and stay connected to the deep route. He’s experienced in playing all forms of coverage, but he’s best from press and off-man. Smith is a reliable tackler with a playing disposition that matches expectations for NFL run support. The on-ball production is a little light, but the traits and talent are in place for a starting role at outside cornerback in the future or a transition to safety.”

Five most likely teams:

  • Packers
  • Patriots
  • 49ers
  • Chiefs
  • Raiders

Mohamed Ibrahim

After completing his storied career last fall, Mohamed Ibrahim’s name is flooded throughout the Gophers’ record books. He was one of the best running backs in college football last season, but the only issue is that he is 5-foot-8 and 24 years old. Running back is continuing to be devalued in the NFL, but that does not mean Ibrahim deserves at least a chance to show his skills at the next level. His production alone will likely help him hear his name called late on day three.

  • ESPN:
    • 200th OVR
    • 17th RB

Scouting report: “Ibrahim is a tough, downhill runner with good contact balance and power. He’s decisive without being impatient and doesn’t miss many seams. He has short arms and a smaller catch radius, but he has shown reliable hands on passes thrown within his frame. Ibrahim is tough and smart, with the potential to develop into an effective pass blocker.”

Scouting report: “Ibrahim is an incredibly fun, instinctual runner. He creates a lot of hidden yards for himself with how he sets up tacklers, churns his legs, and pushes the pile. He’s naturally instinctive in setting up holes to attack and his ability to feel cuts with anticipation help him win the line of scrimmage and set up second-level tacklers to be out of position. He’s built low to the ground and uses that leverage to his advantage to play off of contact. Ibrahim is a short-strider as a runner but does have the ability to stick his foot in the ground and produce change of direction cuts when faced with early penetration in the backfield to get him off his path. I have confidence in his ability to play in either interior zone or gap-rushing concepts; he processes keys early in reps with consistency. As long as you don’t ask him to tap into speed he doesn’t have to test the corner, you’ll get production out of him. At the end of the day, you can boil Ibrahim down to a back who runs hard with instincts.”

Scouting report: “A four-year starter at Minnesota, Schmitz was the anchor of the offensive line at center in offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s balanced scheme. Despite losing four starters on the offensive line, the Gophers ranked top-15 nationally in rushing offense in 2022 behind Schmitz, who earned All-American status as a senior (first Minnesota All-American on the offensive line since 2005). A physical brawler with a wrestling background, Schmitz is at his best in the run game where his aggressive hands and grip strength allow him to create displacement (Fleck: “It also helps when your best player is your hardest worker.”). However, the main concern for his NFL transition is his tendency to lose his balance, especially vs. quick interior penetrators. Overall, Schmitz must do a better job keeping his feet, hands and eyes on the same page, but he has the play strength and finishing attitude to execute at the NFL level. With improved consistency, he can be a functional pro starter.”

  • NFL.com (Daniel Jeremiah)
    • Grade: 6.16
    • 22nd RB

Scouting report: “Hard-hat running back who operated with toughness, vision and a feel for cut timing in the Minnesota inside/outside zone attack. Ibrahim’s decisiveness stands out, but he’s missing an elevated burst to clear second-level tacklers without taking bumps and bruises. He’s not going to run away from NFL defenders, so creativity will be important to keep runs alive. His injury history, paired with his combative running style, could be a concern for some teams, but his no-nonsense running approach and innate feel for the end zone will be easy for coaches to love.”

Best fits:

Five most likely teams:

  • Patriots
  • Dolphins
  • Cowboys
  • Steelers
  • Giants

Jordan Howden

Much like Ibrahim, Howden will be a day three guy or UDFA, but all it takes is one team to fall in love. At 6-foot, 209 pounds he has a solid frame, but relatively average athleticism for the next level is holding back his NFL Draft profile.

  • ESPN:
    • 276th OVR
    • 23rd safety

Scouting report: “A five-year starter at Minnesota, Howden was part of a rotation in defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s scheme, seeing snaps in the box, split and against the slot. A former walk-on cornerback, he was pressed into action as a freshman after Antoine Winfield Jr. was injured. He is one of the more battle-tested defensive backs in this draft class (more than 3,000 career snaps). Howden sees the field well from different alignments, but his reaction quickness to break on throws tends to be inconsistent. He made clear strides in his finishing skills as a tackler, but his pursuit angles tend to be inconsistent. Overall, Howden doesn’t consistently play up to his impressive testing numbers, but he is football smart and has a feel for limiting big plays. He is a potential backup and special-teamer.”

  • NFL.com (Daniel Jeremiah)
    • Grade: 5.69
    • 8th safety

Scouting report: “Howden is a football-savvy free safety with good instincts and play recognition but a lack of acceleration, which could create a plethora of problems for him on the pro level. He’s quick to diagnose the run, but will need to improve his tackle technique. A lack of recovery juice could get him mismatched on the pro game, but he sees route combinations well when allowed to play as a two-deep safety. Howden has played a lot of football and can help on special teams but needs to prove himself as a tester at the NFL Scouting Combine.”

Best fits: …

Five most likely teams:

  • Patriots
  • Packers
  • 49ers
  • Rams
  • Seahawks

Tanner Morgan

Much has been made of Tanner Morgan’s NFL future. Following the 2019 season, some saw him as a high as a 1st round prospect. Fast-forward to the present day, he will likely not hear his named called. With that being said, his experience alone will likely result in a Rookie Minicamp invite and once you’re on the roster anything can happen.

  • ESPN:
    • 338th OVR
    • 15th QB

Scouting Report: “Morgan can be a pretty savvy passer, especially after building up so much sweat equity in the Minnesota system. He shows good control of his offense and an understanding of when and where to take his throws. He consistently makes good decisions in the RPO game to slot the ball behind scraping LBs and is capable of hurrying his process here to get the ball out clean through the mesh point. He’s willing to pull the trigger before his receivers are out of the top of their breaks, showing effective anticipation for spot throws to hit timing routes and ensure he’s keeping the offense on schedule. That said, he still finds room to play with a big-play mentality within the pocket. As a non-traits-based quarterback, the most important thing Morgan has illustrated is timing. He’s shown good chemistry and trust with his receivers, insinuating that he’s got the mental capacity for the pro level.”

Scouting report: “A five-year starter, Morgan, who married his wife (Sarah) in July 2022, set several Minnesota passing records, including completion percentage and wins as a starter (33). Morgan showed improved pocket movement each season and does a nice job on play action, where he can find his rhythm and deliver. But he struggles to read pre-snap and his lack of passing anticipation puts the football in harm’s way. Overall, Morgan will get NFL looks because he is a gutsy competitor and his ball placement showed improvement in 2022. But defenses aren’t scared of his arm and the further the throw, the more his accuracy suffers.”

Best fits:

Five most likely teams:

  • Bengals
  • Packers

Undrafted free agents (UDFAs):

The Gophers had five other players compete in their pro day in mid-March. It is unlikely that any of them hear their name called at this week’s draft, but there is still a solid chance some of them sign as UDFAs and find themselves on an NFL rookie minicamp or training camp roster. The Athletic ranked the top ~200 prospects at each position, so I ranked the Gophers in the chances that I think they end up getting signed.

1. Matthew Trickett

  • 15th kicker

2. Thomas Rush

  • 50th EDGE

3. Mariano Sori-Marin

  • 42nd LB

4. Chuck Filiaga

  • 36th OG

5. Axel Ruschmeyer

  • 87th OG

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