OG/C - Connor McGovern, PennSt.
Scouting Profile
Body Structure McGovern has good bone structure, with a thick midsection, wide hips, big back, good bubble, thick thighs and calves. He displays natural strength and has room on his frame to potentially add more growth. With his wide shoulders and barrel chest, he uses his natural power well to come off the line and generate movement. He has good arm length and very strong hands that he uses with authority. With his big bubble, thick legs and strong anchor, it is hard for defensive linemen in attempts to try and walk McGovern back into the pocket. General Report Note...All games mentioned are for the 2016-17 seasons. Please refer to the updated scouting report for 2018 season analysis. Athletic Ability McGovern has excellent athletic ability, displaying good initial explosion off the line. He is very nimble for a lineman and while he has just adequate timed speed, he gets out on traps and pulls in a hurry, maintaining balance throughout his stride. With his ability to engage defenders in an instant coming off the snap, he might be a better center candidate at the next level, once he gains NFL experience. He shows impressive agility and balance on the move and has the change of direction flexibility to redirect and clear cut back lanes working into the second level. He demonstrates proper knee bend and plays at a low pad level, which helps him be successful in gaining leverage, as he has no problem getting lower than his opponent and keeping his hands inside his frame. He has the physical tools to be a productive starting left guard at the next level due to his quick feet to get into position to make the blocks on the move or working in unison with his guards on double-teams. He is an exceptional hand puncher with the arm quickness to possibly find a home at center at the next level. Go back and look at the way he energizes the rest of the offensive linemen when working in the pivot as evidence of his ability to play there (see 2017 Akron, Nebraska, Maryland games). He demonstrates very good balance and agility for the position to also perform capably as a pulling guard. He shows good explosion off the snap, the ability to out-muscle and wall off his man in isolated coverage and the upper body power to lean into the defender and use his size to sustain. He is nimble working in space and does a good job of locating and neutralizing second level defenders. He is a natural knee bender who does a nice job of keeping his pads down due to his lateral agility and loose hips. With his arm strength, he is capable of pushing and controlling his man in the short area. Football Sense McGovern is a good student who doesn't need reps to retain and is very capable of handling the mental aspect of blocking schemes. He shows good field awareness for the position and the instincts to make proper adjustments on the move vs. different schemes. He is very alert on the field and excels at picking up stunts and games (see 2017, Akron, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Washington games). With his ability to retain plays and know all of the position assignments up front, he could be a natural calling blocking assignments at center. In pass protection, he shows the alertness to pick up the bull rushers and is able to chip to the second level with ease, but needs to be more alert to backside pressure. Character McGovern is a good character who receives lots of support from his family. He is a quick learner who has accepted a leadership role on the team. He is well-liked by the coaching staff and takes a lunch-pail approach, even though he plays like a blue chipper. He is an engaging type who is a bit of a “cut up” that has endeared him to fans and the media, but once he comes out of the huddle, he is strictly business on the field. Competitiveness McGovern is a highly competitive player, one who plays with that defender’s type of mentality and true aggression. He shows toughness with the strength to back it up. He works hard to finish and is the type that a coach will be confident in his ability to play from snap-to-whistle. McGovern is the type that is strictly “old school,” as you will never see him take a play off or throttle down on the field. He shows tremendous passion and effort in the trenches and works hard to leverage and finish. He loves the challenge taking on stunts and schemes, leaving everything he has out on the field. Work Habits McGovern is a “beast” in the training room, evident by the fact that he set all his high school weight room records and has continued to increase his core strength since joining the Penn State program. While he is more of a technician than mauler on the field, do not doubt that he won’t simply annihilate a defender, if given the opportunity. He is described by the staff as a hard worker who can take to tough coaching. He sees himself as a complimentary part of the offensive scheme, but there is no question that when he brings his “A” game, it energizes the rest of the players around him. To best describe him in the trenches, of a few former Chicago Bears pivot performers come to mind - take the toughness of an Olin Kreutz, the win-at-all-costs attitude and the technical skills of Robert Garza (Bears) and you get the Nittany Lions prospect. Athletic Report Initial Quickness McGovern has adequate initial quickness going long distances, but in getting off the line of scrimmage, he simply explodes into a defender. He has very good hand quickness to lock on, steer out and control his man. He gets into his blocks with ease and is quick to gain advantage, showing the functional phone booth acceleration to gain position when working in-line. His body control and balance allows him to shock the defender coming off the ball and his lateral agility lets him maintain position working the corner. He is also adept at keeping his base when moving to the second level to cut off the linebackers. He flashes proper knee bend and his feet are much quicker moving laterally than most players his size. The thing you see on film (see 2017 Akron, Michigan, Nebraska, Maryland Iowa games) is that he is light on his feet and keeps his head on a swivel, which helps him quickly react to movement. McGovern has excellent snap quickness and does a very good job of firing low off the ball with hands ready to do combat on his rise. He shows the flexibility and balance that is required at his position and has the body control you look for in a center when reaching and shading. He has that quick hip snap to get then around when trying to wall off. You can see on film his foot speed when reaching and down blocking. He is also very effective at generating speed needed to chip and reach the second level defenders. He is a fast twitch type that will not have any problems when attempting to lock and load on a nose guard at the next level. Because of his balance and low pad level, McGovern has great success in gaining advantage coming off the snap. He is especially effective executing second level blocks and shows decisive movement in his stance. Lateral Movement The reason I like McGovern as possibly breaking into the pro ranks as a pulling guard is the way he maintains balance working laterally down the line and in getting into the cutback lanes while working in the second level. The reason I love him as a center is his short area explosion and low pad level to gain leverage and create space widening rush lanes when on the move. McGovern has very good lateral quickness, especially when asked to get in front on traps and pulls, making some team feel he could be an ideal offensive guard. He gets out of his stance with good pad level and hand punch to neutralize the bull rushers and shows good mobility to pick up edge rushers that might beat his offensive tackle in attempts to gain penetration. The thing you see on film is his ability to adjust his feet on the move (see 2017 Northwestern, Michigan, Rutgers games). Balance/Stays On Feet McGovern has a very strong anchor, thanks to his big bubble, thick legs and low pad level. He takes choppy steps and is a classic short strider who knows how to keep his legs churning while maintaining a strong power base with his thighs and calves. He seems to be always ready for contact. He is a savvy blocker whose low center of gravity lets him get under a defender’s pads to grab, hold and jerk down. He also knows how to use his base to take the defensive tackle where he wants him to go (see 2017 Georgia State, Nebraska, Maryland games), as he will usually get enough momentum to wash his man out of the play. He plays with good balance and a strong base, doing a nice job of playing with a flat back and his pads down. It is very rare to see him get a little off- balance with twists, as he will generally get good fits. He keeps his feet wide to seal off on times when he has to get out on the edge and is quick to recover when beaten. He does a good job staying up and on his blocks, as he plays with leverage while keeping his feet under him. He also has very good hand strength to lock up and is quite effective at sustaining his feet on the move. Explosion/Pop McGovern has excellent weight room strength and while some scouts might think it does not translate to the field (they want him as a mauler), he knows exactly when to finesse or overpower his man. Considering the NFL refs' penchant for throwing flags in the trenches, I’d much rather have him be a technician than get reckless in his play just so he can dominate his man. He is very active with his hands and when he shoots them, he has the force to rock defensive lineman back on their heels. He hits with a thud working in-line and generates a lot of pop on scramble, scoop and down blocks. The thing I like most about him is his ability to strike with sudden force, as he applies his hand punch with impact, pop and good surge. He is a very good short yardage blocker, staying low in his pads while driving with his legs to clear the rush lanes. He plays with functional strength and has outstanding foot quickness to explode into the defender when making contact. His dedicated weight training program during the off-seasons have resulted in him combining good strength and pop on his run blocks. He does a solid job of rolling his hips and driving defenders. He will get into the defender immediately after the snap and with his hip explosion, he is a perfect fit for an inside running game. Run Blocking McGovern has that low center of gravity and strong hand punch to widen and maintain the rush lanes. He does a nice job of aiming for the defender’s upper hip or thigh, as he also knows how to use his shoulders to control the opponent. He has the hand strength and the drop-step agility to engage the defender in a gap to his left or right, doing a nice job of cutting off the defender’s pursuit. He is equally effective as a driver or getting position to turn his man. He also does a nice job of getting out on second level opponents (see 2017 Akron, Michigan, Northwestern, Nebraska, Washington games). He shows good glide ability and the loose hips needed to loop around his guards on trap blocks and has a strong concept for taking angles on downfield blocks. He plays with good leverage, as he uses his upper body strength well to get into the defender’s jersey coming off the snap. He stays on feet with run blocks, play flat-footed with good balance and a low pad level to widen and sustain the rush lanes. When he brings his hips and strikes on contact, he is effective on screens, showing good finishing ability to wall off. He likes using his size to move out or latch on to defenders while using his solid upper body strength and hand placement to control. Pass Blocking McGovern works better with his guards in protecting the interior pocket than when isolated one-on-one. He will have some problems with the speedier defenders, but when he keeps his weight back and stays square, he is more effective sliding and adjusting when changing direction. He is very alert to tricks and when he sinks his weight, is capable of anchoring vs. the bull rush. In 2017, he showed marked improvement with his recovery quickness, staying square while sinking his hips. He has made great strides in improving his hand placement. He was lacking a bit in this area as a freshman guard, but as a sophomore, he was more effective at generating force and pop behind his hits to jolt the opponent. He knows how to use his hands to grab and gain control. He also has improved his hand quickness, as he works hard to get a piece of his opponent’s jersey to lock on and control. McGovern has made good improvements in his slide. He is effective at locating and neutralizing interior stunts and blitzes, but is still a work in progress when isolated vs. speed rushers (slow to recover at times and can be walked back if a defender hits him at the numbers). He has decent foot speed to mirror when working in-line by staying square to recover. Pulling/Trapping McGovern has worked hard to maintain his low pad level on short pulls. He has the skills to reach and control vs. the three-techs and has become alert to keeping his head on a swivel rather than ducking it upon contact. He has the ability to pull, run, angle and find his second level targets. He does not have great long distance quickness, which might make his skills more suited for center, but he hits his targets with good effort and authority on the move. He also shows the ability to kick out or seal with efficiency. He does a nice job of keeping his shoulders square when delivering base blocks and attacks the defender with a good, flat back. He takes good angles working in-line and when operating in the second level and is able to adjust with ease to a moving target. He shows a good reach in space and is quite effective keeping his feet in front of him on short traps (see 2017 Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska games). Adjust on Linebacker Downfield McGovern is very alert adjusting to blitzes and stunts. He does a nice job delivering chip blocks and cut-offs working in the second level. Before moving off the line, he knows it is important to throw a quick block on the pass rusher so another lineman can take a better angle on the opponent. The thing I like on film is his ability to fire out very low from his stance, using full force to drive into the front of the defender’s hips and scramble into his blocking assignment. He just shows that good space movement you want from a trap blocker and since he keeps his head on a swivel, he has good success looking up people when working down field. When he gets into the second level, he quickly gains position to screen and wall off. He gets into space smoothly when blocking on screens and takes proper angles to obliterate linebackers that dare get into his path. He also shows the agility to cut off and pick up his man while on the move. Use of Hands/Punch McGovern has a bone-jarring hand punch and if he is the first to get his mitts on a defender, the battle is quickly over and won. He is a physical hand placement type who not only shoots with a strong punch, but keeps his hands within his frame for proper placement. He has the arm length and upper body flexibility to get extension and separation while keeping his anchor, thanks to his wide base and quick feet. He is also quite effective at grabbing and holding on without the refs catching on. He places his hands well, doing a nice job of leaning into his man to steer the opponent wide. Reactions/Awareness McGovern is effective when making the cut blocks on the move. As a guard in 2016, there were times when he would overextend and lunge at quicker linebackers though, as he would get too narrow in his base and cross his feet when running around an island. He does explode with force when he hits a defender with his hands. He keeps his hands inside his frame in pass protection and keeps his feet under him to beat the bull rush. He is consistent at getting proper hand placement in attempts to lock on and sustain. He simply knocks the opponent down when he shoots his hands and is also quick to recoil them. He is alert to stunts and twists, showing valid short area foot speed to slide and mirror. He has the loose hips to move side to side and moves fast off the line to take on the defender with force. He is a player with good vision and awareness, especially when locating stunts and blitzes. He knows all of the line’s blocking assignments and is smart enough to make the calls. As a sophomore, he picked up the nuances of playing center quickly and was able to make a smooth transition to that position. McGovern has very good awareness and vision and is efficient coming off initial blocks to locate a secondary target. He knows how to use his size and upper body power to widen the rush lanes and has become more conscious of working in unison with his guards to prevent back side pressure on the pocket. He does a nice job when he sits and recovers inside. He also displays a great feel on double teams, whether it is aiming high at the defender’s numbers or aiming low and attacking his man at the hips.
Submitted by: nflscouting on 12/11/18 3:55 am (ET)
Edge OLB Ben Banogu:
Edge player who may fit best as a 3-4 OLB then play end in sub package situations. Shows good ability off the edge with a pass rush plan against the OT. Never quits on a play nor takes himself out of a rush. He will need to become more stout against run and work on his hands.
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TE Caleb Wilson :
TE who ran a really good 40 at the combine. Matchup guy who can get down the seam and to the second level to make plays downfield. Needs to working on blocking once in a system.
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