DALLAS — With the Dallas Cowboys' second pick of the night, and for the draft, they went in the trenches once again in the third round. The Cowboys chose to go with guard Connor McGovern from Penn State to help bolster a strength along the offensive line.
Much like what second round selection Trysten Hill provides in terms of versatility, McGovern comes with position flex as he can play both guard and center. The team played a game of musical chairs at left guard last season with Connor Williams and Adam Redmond seeing action along with Xavier Su'a-Filo making eight starts in the middle of the year.
What McGovern does is bring depth to the interior that dealt with their fair share of injuries in 2018. Even with his primary spot at guard, McGovern could play center as well and that becomes important with the return of All-Pro Travis Frederick, who missed all of last season recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Frederick is expected to make a full recovery and play in 2019 but until he gets back out there, the Cowboys won't know what to expect. Now with McGovern in the mix, the interior of the line will be a fierce competition.
Last year’s starter at center Joe Looney, Williams and now McGovern could have quite the camp battle to determine who will be the man to take starting reps in between Frederick and Tyron Smith. The Cowboys are obviously trying to get back to that level of dominance up front that fuels Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott to be the playmakers that they are.
Once again, with fewer picks than usual, the Cowboys went with a selection that isn’t sexy but one that will help this team immensely at a position they like to keep well stocked.
The offense is built on controlling the line of scrimmage and punishing defenses with their run game when they have the lead. Last year Williams struggled a bit with being overpowered, McGovern is not easily pushed around as a blocker, especially in the run game.
McGovern will likely need some work on his technique and having Frederick and Martin around to catch him up to speed sure isn’t going to hurt him one bit. Another plus for McGovern is his size.
This pick could very well push Connor Williams back to tackle at some point if the team decides to allow La’el Collins to walk after the season.
With a couple of battering rams for the trenches, the Cowboys still need to find running back depth, defensive back depth, as well as a wide receiver or tight end. With four picks on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how that all pans out but for now, the 2019 draft class is beginning to take shape.
Do you like that the Cowboys picked up another offensive lineman even if there seemed to be more pressing needs? Share your thoughts on the pick with Patrick on Twitter @DraftCowboys.
