OnOff
FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys Rookie Minicamp kicked off on Friday at the Star. Players acquired through free agency and the Draft had their first practice in a Cowboys’ blue jersey. The newcomers performed basic drills to enhance their skills with new respective coaches at the Pro level.
I spoke with Dallas’ third round pick, Connor McGovern, on how he believes his versatility as a player will complement the Cowboys’ offensive line, “ I can swing back and forth from side to side; I can play center if I need to, if someone goes down, I can fill in there or just being able to flip flop.”
McGovern looked comfortable in line drills with his new position coach, Marc Colombo. The offensive line rookies underwent footwork drills: backpedaling and shuffling laterally, to work on speed off the line of scrimmage. In addition, they spent time on optimal hand placement and arm extension to beat opposing defenders, opening up the run and pass. The former Penn State player, showed a relentless spirit and solid wide frame as a promising run blocker.
McGovern was not the only new kid on the block who had a successful first practice. Safety, Donovan Wilson, had an outstanding catch where he high-pointed the football in stride on one of Kris Richard’s routine interception drills. Also, running back, Mike Weber, did well in Gary Brown’s trashcan drills. The drill is designed to show each rusher’s ability to react on instinct when the line shifts and holes open. Weber showed explosiveness and accurately found the open lane with the flow of the defense, aka the trashcans. The former Ohio State Buckeye has vision and worked closely with former teammate Ezekiel Elliott, who acted as his mentor.
“ When I got to Ohio State, Zeke did a great job helping me with the playbook and showing me the way and the ropes, “ Weber discussed with D210. “ When I was hurt, he helped me out a lot. It is the same thing over again, he can help me. “
These players are all now back at the bottom with a fresh start in the NFL, but there was no shortage of smiles in the Cowboys’ facility as the shock wore off and the realization of dreams commenced!
