Conner McGovern, OG
School: Penn State | Conference: BIG 10
College Experience: Junior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 6-5 / 308 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 2nd Round
NFL Comparison: David DeCastro
College Statistics
N/A
Player Overview
Connor McGovern was a 4-star prospect from Lehman, Pennsylvania. He was very familiar with the Penn State program and took multiple visits to the school during his recruitment journey. However McGovern was really interested in playing for North Carolina. He really liked the program and with it came down to chose between the Tar Heels and the Nittany Lions McGovern chose the latter because of the shorter commute from his home town. He got to work right away in State College and was bar none Penn State’s best offensive lineman over the past two seasons. He has starting experience at center which he started all 13 games at the position during his sophomore season and right guard which he played this year. He has a tough and competitive demeanor and is considered a pro ready option at either center or guard in the NFL. McGovern confirmed what you saw on tap with his numbers at the combine and even surprised people with his agility and explosion tests. He ought to have teams of all types of blocking schemes interested in him if they need help on their interior OL.
Strengths
- Good size, strength, athleticism, and length for the position.
- Plays with a nice wide base and light feet in pass protection. Short area quickness and agility allow him to keep up with speed while his lower body technique helps him handle power through the rep. He plays with solid arm extension and can lock up guys keeping them at bay with his length and strength.
- Plays with good awareness and knows when to pass off rushers to his teammates to take care of more immediate threats. Moves well maintaining the pocket and that explosion and power shows itself off the snap when he’s asked to perform power blocks.
- Athleticism shows itself when he’s asked to pull and seal as well and work to the second level.
- Position versatility with experience playing guard and center.
Weaknesses
- Can have trouble maintaining hand placement and leverage when asked to maintain blocks downfield. He relies too much on his upper body in space to maintain control and can get thrown off balance.
- Will revert to lunging and bending instead of resetting his base and using his feet when beat by speed. He can overcompensate his recovery and open up holes in the pocket for second wave rushers to come through.
- Lacks overwhelming power in space due to the above if he can correct some technique and angle issues he’s going to be a force.
Let’s see his work (#66 RG):
Connor McGovern, #66 IOL, is a player the Chiefs met with at the combine that flashes Morse like abilities on film
— Matt Lane (@ChiefinCarolina) March 6, 2019
- Fluid 90 pull off LoS
- Squares up def while breaking down in space
- Initial punch jolts def
- Rolls hips to create movement
- Drives & turns def out of play pic.twitter.com/SQmSKZkyfC
So far my favorite part of Connor McGovern’s (C 66) game is when he’s asked to block in space. Good acceleration for an IOL. Important for second level blocking. Bodes well for teams that like to pull block. Needs to strengthen his anchor. Vea was hard for him. #WeAre #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ds1k0MUJEK
— Mountain Top Scouting (@MTScouting) June 2, 2018
Connor McGovern (RG) seal and finish!
— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTulsNFL) March 30, 2019
Great call on this guy, @BryanBroaddus pic.twitter.com/bfOUZwjSPh
How He Would Fit On The Redskins
I was out of the country last week but I couldn’t get away from reading Hogs Haven. McGovern is mentioned as an option for the Redskins in the 3rd round to fix their longstanding left guard issues. McGovern is ready to play now. Front offices like his size and power and that he is ready to go on day one. Sorry to burst bubbles but all of the starting guards are going to be gone by end of round two. If the Redskins want a day one ready player like McGovern who doesn’t need to add weight or work out in the weight room they are going to have to spend a second round pick. This may not surprise some of you if you look at where the majority of starting guards have been taken in the draft the last few years who did need that type of development to get on the field in their first season. How does he fit? He would be an asset in the Redskins power run scheme. This is an area he shines in because of his blend of power and athleticism. He would also improve the line in pass protection and playing between Trent Williams and Chase Roullier he ought to shine with that kind of support. He also gives the Redskins flexibility with his position versatility and he has been healthy and is still very young. He ought to earn a second contract with the team that drafts him. Will it be the Redskins?