Owen Schmitt

Owen Schmitt (born February 13, 1985 in Fairfax, Virginia) is an American football Fullback for the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for West Virginia and was drafted in the fifth round (163rd overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Schmitt is also featured on the cover of the PSP version of NCAA Football 09.

High school career
Schmitt played fullback, defensive end, and linebacker at first Paul VI Catholic High School and then Fairfax High School in Virginia.

Wisconsin-River Falls
After graduation from high school, Schmitt left to attend the University of Maryland. However, his grades kept him out of Maryland and instead he enrolled at Wisconsin-River Falls. At River Falls, he posted a 1,063 yard and five touchdown performance his freshman year, which earned him Division III all-conference honors in only nine starting performances.

Sophomore (2005)
Schmitt attended spring practice the next year at West Virginia University. Schmitt walked-on to the Mountaineers' squad, and was the starter for the 2005 season. Schmitt's sophomore season was his breakout year. He blocked for various runners, but after the mid-point of the season, freshman Steve Slaton earned starting duties. Along with quarterback Pat White, Schmitt and Slaton teamed up to make one of the best rushing attacks in the NCAA. Schmitt totaled 380 yards and two scores, while running back Slaton recorded 1,128 yards.

Junior (2006)
In 2006, Slaton, White, and Schmitt were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's regional "Big Man On Campus" article. With high expectations, the Mountaineers posted an 11-2 record. Schmitt rushed for 351 yards and 7 scores on the season, also totaling a receiving score. Slaton rushed for 1744 yards, due mainly to Schmitt's blocking. Schmitt's biggest game was in the come-from-behind bowl game win against Georgia Tech, where Schmitt filled in for the injured Steve Slaton, rushing for 109 yards and two scores.

Schmitt earned NSCA Strength All-American honors at the end of the season, as he bulked up from 245 pounds to 260.

Senior (2007)
In 2007, his senior year, Schmitt was arguably one of the best fullbacks in the NCAA. Schmitt took many snaps at tight end in spring practice, where head coach Rich Rodriguez lined him up occasionally. Schmitt's first big game of the season came against Maryland when Schmitt rushed four times for 46 yards, including a 44-yard dash early in the 31-14 win. According to ESPN during the Maryland game, Schmitt has 8 career broken facemasks from hits. In the next game against East Carolina, Schmitt rushed for 32 yards on four rushes with two receptions for 9 yards. Against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, Schmitt earned MVP honors for the game with 39 yards on eight rushes for two touchdowns. He also had a 31-yard reception(where he hurdled one defender and rumbled over another) and a 27-yard punt that was downed inside the Syracuse ten-yard line on a trick play. In the 28-23 victory over #22 Cincinnati, Schmitt rushed for 19 yards on six carries, including the first score of the ballgame with a 4-yard touchdown rush. Now Owen has 10 broken facemasks, coming off of the Louisville and Cincinnati games. Unfortunately West Virginia suffered a heartbreaking loss to Pitt the last game of the season which knocked them out of the National Championship picture and matched them up with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Schmitt was awarded the Ira Errett Rodgers Award and Fred Schaus Captain's Award at the end of the season by head coach Rich Rodriguez. Schmitt finished out his collegiate career with three rushes for 64 yards and a touchdown in the 48-28 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Schmitt's 57-yard touchdown was a career-long and was a school bowl record until Noel Devine broke the record in the fourth quarter of that same game. It also marked the third consecutive bowl that Schmitt finished with a 50-yard rush.

Schmitt ended the season with 106 knockdown blocks and 17 touchdown-resulting blocks and finished the season with two of his three "pooch" punts downed inside the 20-yard line, for an average of 20.3 yards per punt.

Career
Schmitt finished his West Virginia Mountaineer career as one of the greatest players in school history. In his career, Schmitt earned 21 career starts, four of which were at tight end. Through his 353 career carries (at WVU and Wisconsin-River Falls), he was only tackled for a loss four times. He also carried the ball for 1,003 yards, a 6.3-yard average, during his Mountaineer career. In his four collegiate seasons, Schmitt totaled 122 points and 2,398 all-purpose yards.

Pre-NFL Draft
Owen Schmitt accepted an offer to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama following the bowl season. During practice, Schmitt was used as a receiver out of the backfield and was reported by NFL Draft Countdown to be doing well at that position, even dragging California safety Thomas DeCoud on one play. Schmitt was seen talking to a Kansas City Chiefs representative. Schmitt was also reporteded to have met with Minnesota Vikings' head coach Brad Childress at the Senior Bowl. The Buffalo Bills also reportedly took interest in Schmitt and his former teammate, Steve Slaton. NFL Draft Countdown projected Schmitt as the #2 fullback in the class, behind Peyton Hillis of Arkansas. Scott Wright, the owner of the website, predicted Schmitt as a mid-rounder. Schmitt reportedly has a 675 pound squat, a 480 pound hang clean, a 4.57 40 time, a 36 inch vertical, and 11 broken facemasks in his collegiate career. He was weighed-in at the Senior Bowl as 6'1" and 247 lbs. with being "thick and strong with a big frame".  On January 23, 2008, Schmitt was the subject of an ESPN article entitled "Schmitt making noise in Mobile". The article spoke of how Schmitt was being used versatily in the Senior Bowl practices, and was being productive. However, that same day, Schmitt went down with an injury in practice to his knee, and would miss the Senior Bowl game on that Saturday. On February 8, 2008, ESPN stated that Schmitt was "the most complete prospect of the group" between Peyton Hillis, Jacob Hester and himself.   Schmitt was announced to be invited to the 2008 NFL Combine. Schmitt's 26 bench reps were tied for the fourth best by a back in the Combine.   Owen Schmitt was compared to Hall of Famers Larry Csonka and Jim Taylor and also former running back Pete Johnson. Schmitt is compared to Csonka because he has not only been a good blocker, but as well as a short-yardage rusher. At West Virginia's Pro Day on March 13, Schmitt ran a 4.72 40, a 4.11 short shuttle, a 6.85 three-cone, and an 11.85 long shuttle. He measured in at 6'2" and 249 lbs. He performed running back, fullback, and tight end drills without dropping a pass the entire day. He also recorded a 9'9" broad jump and a 31.5" vertical jump. Schmitt's 4.11 shuttle time was one of the best for any prospect for the Draft on their respective Pro Day. On the psychological written test, a question was asked "Are you a dog or a cat?" Schmitt wrote in "Lion". After the Pro Day, Schmitt worked out at the campus before traveling to interview with the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He also worked-out with the Browns' runningback coach, Anthony Lynn.  In April, USA Today projected Schmitt as the #1 fullback and as a fourth to fifth round selection. He was reported to have maxed-out with a 385-pound bench press, a 640-pound squat, and a school-record 525-pound hang clean. He also was reported to have hang cleaned 425-pounds eight times and posted a 24 out of 50 Wonderlic score. On April 17, Mel Kiper of ESPN predicted Schmitt to be taken in the fourth to sixth rounds.

NFL Draft
Schmitt was drafted in the fifth round (163rd overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Schmitt was the second Mountaineer selected in the draft, behind Steve Slaton in the third round (89th overall) to the Houston Texans. "He’s a good fullback and we don’t have anybody else like him on the roster," Seahawks offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said, "He’s got good hands, blocks and he can run."

Personal Life
Growing up, John Riggins of the Washington Redskins was Schmitt's favorite football player.