Is Connor McGovern on the hot seat?

[gmf1369]

after witnessing Cole Strange at the Senior Bowl, the Jets who asked the guard to take snaps at center could be endearing the possibility of drafting his replacement. Like Nagy stated in this clip, many executives and coaches believe a player like Cole Strange is a day one starter and he showed immense promise at the center position...

Now he is rated a third round prospect but his stock is currently soaring and could go as high as top 5 in the second round from what I am hearing right now... This opens the door to the Jets drafting two IOL this draft while banking on Fant & Becton to hold down the tackle positions with the return of Moses or a new FA signing at tackle. Door is not closed on the Jets drafting a mid to late round tackle but all points to the team cleaning up and finishing the rebuild of the offensive line in the 2022 NFL Draft...

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[gmf1369]

Delving into Connor McGovern's performance in 2021:

Spoiler: Run blocking

Run-blocking grade of 78.9 at Pro Football Focus in 2021. That ranked ninth-best out of 34 qualified centers (500+ snaps played).

McGovern’s top-10 run-blocking grade is backed up by the Jets’ equally solid rushing production on runs up the middle.

He is great fit in the Jets’ zone running scheme. He earned an 87.1 zone-blocking grade at PFF in 2021. That ranked fifth-best out of 34 qualified centers.

The power game is more of an issue for McGovern, who placed 25th out of 34 qualifiers with a 58.4 gap-blocking grade. However, that weakness is not a huge deal in the Jets’ scheme as McGovern was given a gap-blocking assignment on just 35.1% of his run-blocking snaps, per PFF.

All things considered, it seems fair to label McGovern as a top-10 run blocker at the center position.

Spoiler: Pass protection

McGovern allowed 19 pressures on 651 pass-blocking snaps in 2021, a rate of 2.92% that was below the positional average of 3.24% and ranked 16th-best out of 34 qualifiers.

PFF scored McGovern with a pass-blocking grade of 68.0 that ranked 15th-best out of 34 qualifiers. It lines up directly with the quality of his pressure rate.

Spoiler: Penalties

McGovern is great at avoiding penalties. He was called for three flags in 2021 and has been called for only five over his three years as a starting center.

In 2021, the average NFL center committed a penalty once every 199.7 offensive snaps, per data from PFF. That means the average center would be expected to commit 14.8 penalties over McGovern’s 2,955 offensive snaps from 2019-21. With a measly five penalties over that span, McGovern was flagged at about one-third of the frequency of the average center (once every 591.0 snaps).

Spoiler: Durability

With only three missed games in his five-year career, McGovern offers a good track record of durability. His total of 78 games played from 2017-21 ranked 14th among interior offensive linemen over that span.

Spoiler: Should the Jets keep Connor McGovern?

The Jets are perhaps only one piece away from filling the offensive line with five players who are at least above-average. It would be risky to cut ties with McGovern and open another hole.

McGovern has already logged a full year of experience in New York, building chemistry with the young Alijah Vera-Tucker and amassing experience in offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s system. Those things cannot be replaced.

Keeping McGovern as the starting center going into 2022 seems to be the best move for New York.

Spoiler: Cap - Financials

McGovern (who will turn 29 in April) is under contract for the 2022 season on a cap hit of $10.3 million, which is currently set to rank fourth-highest among centers. However, the Jets can release McGovern to clear $9 million in cap room. They would take on a dead money hit of only $1.3 million.

So logically he is only getting better, but the team will need to make sure they have a backup that can eventually take over the reigns...

 

[Tinstar]

I think cutting McGovern before the start of the season would be a huge setback for this team and the OL . He knows the system, the checks and has chemistry with the potential starting guards if the Doc returns. We need options for the future and some are available later in the draft the same way we could have targeted Johnson who’s now being projected as a 1st rounder, we could draft Strange in the 2nd or Mays in the 3rd or 4th . We will have options so no need to panic draft . We just need to work the board .

 

[TebowCan'tThrow]

Don't trade Fant. Don't cut McGovern.