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SERGIO RENDER
6-3/311
Virginia Tech Senior
40: 5.40 (Campus)

PROS: Has good strength and matches up well against power defenders. Is a capable drive blocker that has good pop off the snap. Has a good mean streak and does a nice job finishing his blocks. Is athletic enough to pull and block on the second level. Does a nice job initiating contact.
CONS: Doesn't always stay locked on and doesn't havea great punch when initiating contact. Is too much of a waist bender and overextends at times. Doesn't have great footwork and doesn't adjust too well in space. Needs to improve his balance. Will miss assignments when asked to pull or block in space.
OVERVIEW: A power run blocker that is like a poor man's Duke Robinson. Started 12 games at left guard this past year after three seasons as a starting right guard. Has 52 career starts.
NFL FORECAST: Render will work well for teams looking for a power run blocker. He'll be less effeective in pass protection in the pros than he was in college because he'll have to match up with big guys that are much quicker than he's used to facing. But he was able to go toe to toe with some of the better power tackles in the nation the past few years (Cody, Suh, Cam Thomas, Raji, etc.) and handled himself well. With his strength, he's able to get by in pass protection, but he'll need to have his footwork polished up. But even so, I don't ever see him being a top pass protector. He'll earn his paycheck by clearing holes as a run blocker. He should make a solid starter and his experience playing both sides of the line means that he shouldn't have a problem impacting right away. But I think he'll probably be a better left guard than right guard simply because he'll get more help from the center in most schemes there.
ATL FORECAST: He fits as a left guard in Atlanta because his ability to clear running lanes should help offset that weakness in Sam Baker. He is good enough to give Blalock a run for his money right away, and if he doesn't win the job as a rookie, he should be ready to replace Blalock by his second year. And his space-clearing ability will help bolster the Falcons interior running game and I suspect he can be a fixture in Atlanta for years to come.
VALUE: Render's one-dimensionality means he's a better fit in the third round than in the second despite his potential as a run blocker.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

STRENGTH: 4.5
PASS BLOCKING: 3.0
RUN BLOCKING: 4.5
FOOTWORK: 2.5
TECHNIQUE: 2.5
MOBILITY: 3.0
MEAN STREAK: 4.0