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We have previously acknowledged that center is a position the New York Giants should be hoping o to upgrade this offseason. How about doing so with the guy Pro Football Focus believes is the best center who could reach the market? Connor McGovern of the Denver Broncos.
The basics
Age: 27 in 2020 season
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 306
Position: Center/guard
Experience: 4 seasons (entire rookie year spent on IR)
2019 stats: Games: 16 (all starts) | Snaps: 1,014
Pro Football Focus: Overall grade: 71.9 (11th among qualifying centers) | WAR: 0.16 (11th) | Pass blocking: 82.5 (1 sack, 15 pressures in 609 pass-blocking snaps) | Run blocking 64.0
The skinny
Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann of SB Nation’s Mile High Report says:
“Connor McGovern was very good for us at center, and it’s not even his natural position (he was a tackle at Mizzou and became a backup center in 2018), but after the Broncos let Matt Paradis walk (grrrrr....), McGovern was tapped as the starting center.
“My gut feeling is that McGovern will probably command a little more money on the open market than he’s worth, and therefore, there’s a better than average chance that Broncos’ will lose him because John Elway won’t want to pay.
“Joe Mahoney of Mile High Report believes McGovern could get $11-$12 million since he’s the highest-ranked center in free agency and still under 30. And since our offensive line coach is known for developing late-round picks, he has hope that Mike Munchak can get great production out of Patrick Morris if we let go of McGovern.
“McGovern is also a bit of a weight room freak!”
McGovern has spent the last three seasons in Denver playing either center or right guard. He has been a full-time starter the past two seasons. The NFL’s highest paid centers make between $11.25 million (Rodney Judson, Raiders) and $9.4 million (Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys).
As the top center on the market, someone is likely to put McGovern in that salary stratosphere. Should it be the Giants?