Gardner earned his second consecutive first-team All-ACC recognition in 2008 despite missing the final four games following surgery on a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He had played through the injury most of the fall, which was no surprise given his streak of 48 consecutive starts up to that point. Although not particularly special in any one area, Gardner's sturdiness and dependability up front is not overlooked by NFL teams. Had an arm span of 34 1/2 inches and a hand span of 10 inches at the combine.

Honorable mention all-state selection (Class AAAA) and first-team all-area (Fayette/Coweta Counties) by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ... Ranked among the Top 100 in Georgia by TheInsiders.com ... Top lineman for an offense that produced more than 4,000 yards ... An all-county selection as a junior ... Wendy's High School Heisman nominee for Sandy Creek High, where he lettered three years for coach Rodney Walker ... Also an all-county basketball player who once grabbed 19 rebounds in a game.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

Strengths: Good height with adequate build on the edge. Plays strong, attacking his opponent through the whistle in pass protection by punching and continually extending his arms to keep his man outside the pocket. Keeps his feet moving, which keeps him locked on his man. Will go through the whistle on his man when necessary. Good movement to the linebackers, giving good effort to get his hands on quicker defenders in space. Effectively uses angles to direct speedy defenders around the play. Gets low on cut blocks, which he did quite often in Tech's option attack as a senior. Steady player, hard worker.

Weaknesses: Not the elite athlete most teams want at left tackle. NFL speed rushers may give him problems due to his average lateral movement and tendency to overextend or miss his punch. Inconsistent initial quickness off the ball. Needs to prove strong enough to play inside or on the other side of the line. Does not recover quickly or retain his balance after the initial hit while cut blocking, and sometimes whiffs on the cut itself. Struggles to sustain in space because he overextends and lacks recovery speed.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.