Draft profile: Penn State LB Dan Connor
Last year, it was Paul Posluszny.
The Penn State LB was taken 34th overall in the 2007 draft by the Buffalo Bills, the latest NFL product from "Linebacker U."
This year, it's Dan Connor. The 6-foot-3, 233-pound linebacker was an All-American as a senior and set the all-time Nittany Lions record for career tackles. He finished first in the Big Ten and seventh in the country in tackles in 2007. Connor played middle linebacker as a senior but played outside earlier in his career.
NFL.com's Mike Mayock has Connor ranked as his second-best inside linebacker prospect, and Scouts, Inc. ranks Connor as the 23rd best player overall.
To get a better idea of how Connor projects as an NFL prospect, I called on Jeff Rice, beat writer for the Centre Daily Times and my former sports editor at The Daily Collegian.
Q: What are Connor's strengths that make him a first-round prospect?
A: He’s just a great all-around player -- decent size, decent speed and great instincts. He can rush the passer, play the run, cover tight ends and tailbacks and has a great mind for the game.
Q: In what areas will he most need to improve at the next level?
A: Every NFL coach wants every defensive player to get faster. Connor must work on continuing to develop his speed while he adds size. He developed several pass-rushing moves last season but can continue to improve in that area.
Q: Connor played both inside and outside at Penn State. Where do you see him playing in the NFL?
A: I see Connor as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense or possibly an inside linebacker in a 3-4. He could play in the middle but would need to add at least 10-15 pounds, in my opinion.
Q: He got in Joe Paterno's doghouse during his sophomore year and was kept out of the lineup for three games. What was the reason for the punishment, and did he have any other character issues?
A: Connor made several inappropriate prank telephone calls to a former Penn State assistant coach during the summer before his sophomore season and was suspended for the first three games of that year. I think the experience opened his eyes -- he stayed out of trouble after that. I think it was a case of Connor’s goofy sense of humor going a little too far; I can’t recall him having any other character issues.
Q: Describe Connor's personality. What was his relationship like with teammates, the media and coaches?
A: Connor showed different sides to different people. In practices and in games, he was all business -- focused, determined and not one to say much. With the media, he was honest and straightforward. In talking to friends and family members, I discovered that Connor had a playful side, but he rarely showed it to the public eye.
Q: Connor's former teammate Posluszny was drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft. How do the two players compare?
A: Connor and Posluszny are very similar in terms of work ethic and instincts. They both make plays all over the field and they never take plays off. Connor has a little more lateral speed, and Posluszny, pound for pound, might be a little stronger.
Q: What was Connor's signature moment at Penn State?
A: It’s difficult to say. I think Connor’s legacy was not that he made all sorts of big plays, but that he made almost all of the little ones. He rarely if ever came off the field but made as many stops late in the fourth quarter as he did early in the first quarter.
More on Connor
ESPN.com's Todd McShay has the Chargers taking Connor at No. 27:
San Diego is one of the few teams with the luxury to draft the best available athlete, and since there isn't a good tackle value still on the board, Connor becomes a very attractive option. He can fit well at one of the inside linebacker spots in the Chargers' 3-4 scheme and should eventually become an upgrade over current starter Stephen Cooper, who led the team in tackles in 2007 but has physical limitations.
ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Connor the third-best inside linebacker available.
NFL.com's Mayock has Connor going to the 49ers at No. 29:
The San Francisco 49ers would love to add Dan Connor from Penn State. You plug him next to Patrick Willis, forget about that inside linebacker position for the next 10 years.
NFL.com's Pat Kirwan has the Giants taking Connor with the final pick in the first round:
The Giants could wind up with a terrific linebacker at this spot. Jerod Mayo (Tennessee) as well as Connor may both be here, but Connor's leadership and production are the tie-breakers. Connor could play the weakside in the Giants defense and has the football intelligence to understand the fire-zone scheme New York plays. Connor has 35 starts, 419 tackles, 34 tackles for a loss and 9 sacks.
Connor tells The Daily Collegian his favorite movie is Kingpin.
Connor attended the combine but had to leave early because of the flu. When asked how he performed on a scale from 1-10 at Penn State's Pro Day, Connor said "probably like a 13."
And finally, a Connor video on YouTube:
Comments
Who cares about Pa State? This is Maryland!!!
Posted by: Bob | April 7, 2008 1:38 PM
Is this the guy from Roseanne? I wouldn't take him. He's out of shape.
Posted by: Kevin | April 7, 2008 2:10 PM
ALL i know is if we take ANY QB in the first round w/ an inept offensive line I'm going to stop being a baltimore fan. Let's stick to our competative advantages / strengths and not F up on offense by making mental errors. Run the damn ball, control the clock, control momentum, and get the W
Posted by: artin | April 7, 2008 5:50 PM
Exactly. We don't need a QB. Playing behind a line that is terrible at pass protection, Kyle Boller, who the majority of fans and media think is terrible and a bust, has had FIVE games with QB ratings over 100 in his last 16. Imagine if he got all day to throw on most attempts, as Brady and Peyton Manning do, instead of usually having his pocket collapse or a rusher in his face in less than four seconds. He rarely has time to scan the field for open receivers. I don't see how anyone can think Matt Ryan or any drafted QB can do as well as Boller, let alone better, without consistent pass protection! I'm praying that Coach Harbaugh has watched films and seen how well Boller does when he gets just a little protection, so we don't waste a draft pick, especially a high one, on a quarterback when we actually need shutdown corners, defensive linemen who can pressure the QB, and a wide receiver who's a game-breaking threat.
Posted by: Alan | April 7, 2008 6:02 PM
See that's where you're flawed at being a tru Ravens fan. Cam Cameron is gonna be the type of Offensive-coordinator that wants to win by scoring...not defense. Our defense is getting old and needs to stay rested and off the field as much as possible.
"Take the lead and stay in the lead" kind of mindset. Not run the clock down as much as possible and hope our defense holds up...No longer in Baltimore will it be the Offense getting in the Defense's way, if anything vice versa. Our defense does not have to win games for us this year so its not going to be called on as much as b4, but when they are..they will still be Fresh! Dominant! and Consistent! Ray's job next year is to slow the other team down as much as possible..mean while our highly explosive offense is continually racking up the points .
Don't just maintain an okish offense and hope your D wins. Yet, build an EXPLOSIVE offense to ACCOMMODATE our already dominant defensive and special teams. We have the players to win a superbowl . We have the players needed to make an explosive offense (agile gaurds,tough brutal tackles, Edgy power runner, quick Wr's both tall and short[mark clayton/Mason=wes welker, figurs=stallworth type of player, d.williams=playmaker], smash nose FB in mcclain and playmaker FB in greene, best tight end in the league. We have the Defense. We have the punt game. We have the kick return and punt return game. We have the clutch kicker and poised quarterback. We have all of the pieces, we just need a successful scheme...Billick could not find one but Cameron will. Look at the 02-06 Chargers. Look at what he did with quarterbacks Trent Green and Gus frerotte in 94'-96'. He even coached Frerrotte to his 1 and only pro bowl in 1996. GUS FREROTE!! So what can he do with boller or smith or Matt Ryan? not to mention..a healthy Steve McNair. Compare the type of players we have to the 02-06 chargers.
-Todd Heap...Antontio Gates
-Willis McGahee...Ladanian Thomas
-Demetrius Williams...Vincent Jackson
-Steve McNair/Vince Young i mean Troy Smith...Drew Brees.
-Mcclain,Greene...Lorenzo Neil
+Mark Clayton +Derrick Mason +Yamon Figurs
+Synpeneski? +Daniel Wilcox
+a Giant Agile Offensive-line
A "Real Ravens Fan" knows what we have, who we have and what's coming in 2008, all u posers need to figure it out quick b4 u regret it. Do not put your Fanhood on the line over a Draft. And! if that is the case...give up on football all together, pack your bags, and move to France. For all of the "analysts","experts", and "FANS" that do not understand and/or recognize the GREAT NFL TEAM that is currently in Baltimore, Maryland, Head this WARNING!!...YOU WILL eventually come on board as you take place in American History as a witness to one of Foootballs most historical moments, known as...."The 2008 Baltimore Ravens". The Band Wagon-Train's a rollin', either get on or stay OFF!!!
...all ABOARD!! choo!! choo!! All ABOARD.......
Posted by: Anthony | April 7, 2008 7:28 PM
Whoever thinks that Dan Connor is out of shape is a bone head and is not a true football fan. Because if you have paid attention to college football over the past 3 years you would know that he is one of the most skilled and athletic linebackers in the draft. Just check out his pro day work out u clown
Posted by: Joe | April 8, 2008 9:46 AM
When Boller has time, he still can't hit wide open WRs. He's inaccurate and doesn't have pocket presence. The '05 line and the '06 line were essentially the same OL, but somehow McNair managed to get sacked a lot fewer times. Why? B/c he's mastered the art of a step here, a step there, then get rid of the ball. Boller hasn't mastered that and if he could, he would have shown it by now.
I'd much rather Troy Smith be ahead of Boller on the depth chart. When the Ravens select a QB with either their first or second pick, they should then trade Boller away for the highest value they could get (probably a 5th round pick, maybe a high 4th pick).
Line or no line, if Boller were a legit NFL QB, he would have shown it by now. He's an extremely nice guy by all accounts, but he's not NFL starting material.
Posted by: J | April 9, 2008 10:06 PM
Here's some OL stats from 2005 (Boller at QB) and 2006 (McNair at QB, same linemen as 2005):
2005:42 sacks
2006: a franchise-low 17 sacks (second best in the NFL that season)
The difference is Boller hanging onto the ball and not knowing how to move around.
Posted by: J | April 9, 2008 10:12 PM