Connor James McGovern (born November 3, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State.

Early years

McGovern attended Lake-Lehman High School. He received Wyoming Valley Football Conference first-team All-League honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He was named the Wyoming Valley Football Conference Most Valuable Player and first-team All-state as a senior. Also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and track. He received All-conference honors in basketball as a junior. He was the District 2 shot put champion as a senior in 2015. He also set school strength records in bench press, power clean, squat and

deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises ...

College career

McGovern accepted a football scholarship from Penn State University. As a true freshman, he started 9 out of 13 games played at

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gi ...

. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the week during week 10 of his freshman season, and became the first offensive lineman to receive the honor. He also became the third Big Ten offensive lineman to receive any player of the week award since Penn State joined the conference, after

Korey Stringer Korey Damont Stringer (May 8, 1974 – August 1, 2001) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at the Ohio State University and wa ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

and Sean Poole of

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. As a sophomore, McGovern was moved from guard to the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position, starting all 13 games. As a junior, he started 12 games at

and one at

. On January 2, 2019, McGovern announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Professional career

McGovern was selected by the

in the third round (90th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He missed all of the preseason with a torn pectoral muscle. He was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on September 1. In 2020, he began the season as a backup guard behind

Zack Martin Zachary Edward Martin (born November 20, 1990) is an American football offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted 16th overall by the Cowboys in the ...

and Connor Williams. In the sixth game against the Arizona Cardinals, Martin left the game with a concussion after a handful of snaps, and McGovern replaced him at right offensive guard. He would make his first career start in the next game against the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

, while Martin recovered. Martin was later moved to right tackle in the tenth game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

to help stabilize the offensive line performance, and McGovern was named the starter at right guard. He would remain in that role for the rest of the season, after Martin suffered a calf injury in the eleventh game against the

. In 2021, he would be used in an unusual role. He is naturally an

Offensive Guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

, but he has played Fullback and

Tight End The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

under Offensive Coordinator

Kellen Moore Kellen Christopher Moore (born July 5, 1988) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played six seasons in the NFL for the ...

References

External links

*
Penn State profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgovern, Connor 1997 births Living people People from Larksville, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football centers American football offensive guards Penn State Nittany Lions football players Dallas Cowboys players