Cowboys take DT Trysten Hill in the second round, G Connor McGovern in the third
He helps shore up the interior of the defense that has already added Christian Covington and Kerry Hyder in free agency.
Hill, who is projected to replace the departed David Irving as the pass-rushing three-technique, thinks he fits in well with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys didn’t want to pass up on Hill, who is considered a disruptor in the middle of the defense.
He has a non-stop motor and can get to the quarterback. The biggest downside is his attitude. He didn’t get along with his coaching staff during his final season at UCF. After starting 13 games as a sophomore, he started just one of 12 games in 2018.
Because he was in the doghouse, he barely played in UCF’s Fiesta Bowl loss to LSU and then turned pro.
Asked why he started just one game last season, Hill blamed it on the depth at UCF.
Of course, hard-nosed Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is the right man to get him in line.
Hill bonded with Marinelli at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, during his Pro Day and also during a pre-draft visit. They went to dinner and developed a relationship.
”It means everything to be picked by the Cowboys,” Hill said. “It’s a dream come true. It’s a dream to play for Coach Marinelli. He wants the best for me. I want to lay it on the line for him and the organization.”
How does Hill describe himself as a player?
“I think I’m a dominant, tenacious player that wants every bit of the competition,” Hill said. “That’s how I was raised. That’s what I’m going to do day in and day out. I’m excited to get to work.”
The Cowboys added versatile Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern in the third round.
McGovern played guard and center in college. He is considered a reliable run blocker with NFL-ready size and strength.
He gives the Cowboys an option if 2018 pick Connor Williams is not ready to start at left guard this season. Williams was benched for Xavier Sua-Filo midway through last season.
McGovern was surprised to be picked by the Cowboys. He had no contact with them before the draft and didn’t from them until they called him to announce the pick.
McGovern said coming to the Cowboys is a dream come true for an offensive lineman. He said he admired the Cowboys offensive line while in college and especially followed Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin.
He believes his versatility will be an asset on the next level. He is open to playing guard and center.
“I was very surprised,” McGovern said. “My agent started texting me before and was like, ‘The Cowboys are interested’ and I got that phone call. My heart just kind of exploded. I’m still living in this surreal moment right now.”
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was five years old to hear my name called, and then seeing the Dallas area code, my heart began pounding faster because of the whole O-Line here. I’ve been watching them since I got to college as an O-Line unit at Penn State. We would always watch their chemistry and how well they played together, and tried to model our game after that.”
The Cowboys didn’t go into the draft looking to pick a guard in the third round but he was the best available on their board. They had a second-round grade on McGovern.
“He was a classic case of us doing our best to look up at that board and say, ‘Who is the best player up there?’,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He, for us, was by far the best player at that time. It was us looking at each other and saying, ‘There’s the blinking light.’”
The Cowboys have four picks on the drafts final day on Saturday, two in the fourth round, one in the fifth and one in the seventh.
This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 8:20 PM.
