One of the smartest offensive linemen in the Southeastern Conference, the fifth-year senior boasted a 3.74 grade-point average, receiving the school's Harold White Award for his academic excellence in 2008. As a sophomore, he was named the university's recipient of the Andrew Sorensen Scholar-Athlete Award for Football.

Meredith started 38 games during his career at South Carolina and had a string of 28 consecutive starts snapped heading into the 2008 campaign. He lined up at both tackle positions prior to shifting to left guard as a senior. That move was brought about so that he could mentor Georgia Military Institute transfer, Jarriel King, at Meredith's familiar left tackle slot.

Meredith was a standout strong-side defensive end at Hillcrest High School, where he lettered three times under the guidance of head coach Wayne Garrick. He earned All-League honors as a senior and received a two-star prospect rating from Rivals.com.

Despite a banner senior prep season, Meredith was lightly recruited by the colleges. Former South Carolina offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo saw that Meredith had great athleticism when he recruited him at Hillcrest, the high school that produced former USC and current Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Travelle Wharton.

"He had that athletic ability like Wharton. He was long, he was lean and he was athletic," said DeGuglielmo, who is a coach with the Miami Dolphins. "He was low-key and had an even temperament -- and I liked that about him. I didn't want someone who was too excitable."

Meredith enrolled at South Carolina in 2004, spending most of the season acclimating to the right offensive tackle position on the scout team. He received his first collegiate game action in the seventh contest vs. Vanderbilt, but did not play the rest of the year.

In 2005, Meredith spent the first part of the season as a key reserve at both right and left tackle. He took over right tackle duties midway through the Arkansas clash, going on to start four games, including the Independence Bowl vs. Missouri. He finished the year with 34 knockdowns and six touchdown-resulting blocks, as the offense averaged 315.92 yards per game.

The following season, the Andrew Sorenson Scholar-Athlete Award winner started all 13 games. He started the first seven contests at right tackle and the final six on the left side, delivering 62 knockdowns for the campaign. He was named Southeastern Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week vs. Clemson, helping the Gamecocks improve their offense from a 100th-place ranking in 2005 to 20th in 2006 (395.0 yards per game).

As a junior, Meredith earned ESPN Academic All-District honors and was named his team's Outstanding Offensive Lineman. Starting all 12 games at left tackle, he made 75 knockdowns and twelve touchdown-resulting blocks. He allowed just three quarterback sacks on 443 pass plays and also recorded three solo tackles, along with recovering a fumble.

After sitting out the first two games of 2008, based on his agreement with the NCAA, Meredith returned to the lineup at left tackle vs. Georgia, but then spent the rest of the year at left guard. A right ankle sprain in fall camp affected his foot speed and balance, and was further compounded when he again injured it early in the Louisiana State game. He saw limited action the next two games, finishing with nine starts. He posted 48 knockdowns and five touchdown-resulting blocks, as both Meredith and USC struggled, with the offense ranking 97th nationally with an average of 316.54 yards per game.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 6.60

Body Structure: Has a well-proportioned frame, but desperately needs to add more bulk and lower-body muscle definition and power. He is a big-boned player with good thickness in his chest and shoulders. He has long arms, good timed speed and adequate quickness and large hands to grab and separate.

Athletic Ability: Meredith has very good knee bend and loose hips, but does not always use them to his advantage due to issues with strength in his lower body. Isn't a good leverage player, but has the functional quickness in his kick-slide and flexibility to mirror (will get in trouble when he drops back too far, though). He has good change-of-direction agility, but only when he plays with a wide base (gets too narrow in his base when on the move), but even with his redirection skills, he is sometimes too slow to recover and will get beaten when he "short arms" and lets the defender take a side to escape (needs to face up to his opponent with better aggression). GRADE: 6.6

Football Sense: Meredith is the smartest player on the team and plays with good awareness, but is inconsistent when needed to react with urgency. He has a keen understanding for the game, which is the reason he has played every position on the front wall except for center. He is an outstanding student with a 3.7 GPA. He picks things up quickly and has no problem taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field, but needs to play with better aggressiveness and emotion. GRADE: 7.8

Character: Very quiet sort with no off-field issues. He gets along well with teammates and staff, but is not considered a leader. He shies away from the spotlight, and would not communicate with the media as a senior. He is mature and his academic success shows he has good maturity. GRADE: 7.0

Competitiveness: Meredith is a quiet sort, making it hard to gauge his aggressiveness, as he doesn't show great urgency in his play. Doesn't always work to finish and must play with more emotion and develop nastiness to play at the next level. He does show good effort, but you would just want a player with his athletic ability to show more emotion. GRADE: 5.6

Work Habits: Meredith is a self-starter who does not need to be monitored, but he needs to dedicate more hours to the training room. He lacks great strength and also needs to add bulk. His frame looks more like a power forward for the basketball team than that of a football down lineman. GRADE: 6.0

ATHLETIC REPORT

Initial Quickness: Meredith has a very quick initial step and loose hips. He shows suddenness to gain an advantage and is a good knee-bender, but does not always use his burst (bit lethargic late in the game). Working in space, there are times he takes false steps or makes insufficient moves (sometimes retreats so far back in pass protection, an edge rusher just needs to delay his burst and then slip underneath). When he keeps his pads level, he can reach and scoop to seal shaded defenders. Best asset is his ability to use his light and quick feet to reach an opponent, but as a senior, he struggled often to gain movement off the snap working at guard and needs to improve his lower body strength.

GRADE: 6.9

Lateral Movement: Shows the loose hips to work down the line, but has a poor concept for angling in the second level (just six downfield blocks on 1,372 plays the last two years). You can see that he is fluid and can slide naturally, but just needs to play with better control. GRADE: 6.5

Balance/Stays On Feet: Can be slow with his kick slide but he seems to rush his retreat. When he does, edge rushers loop around him to pressure the pocket. With his athletic ability, the hope is that he would stay with his blocks longer. He will finish once engaged, but he does not play with great strength or leverage. He can move his feet and swing his hips to position and wall off. His problems occur because he has a tendency to play high in his stance, as this affects his equilibrium as the game progresses. GRADE: 5.7

Explosion/Pop: Despite good timed speed, Meredith appears a bit lethargic coming off the snap. He does not show the suddenness moving in space and would much rather use his reach to keep defenders at bay rather than fire off the snap and attack with aggression. He has quick hands, but lacks much impact with his punch. With his athletic frame and long arms, you would expect him to be quicker getting into position and stay on his blocks longer (more of a one-punch type). He is not the type that will stalk into the second level, or come off the snap with true aggression (seems to go through the motions). He has good lower-body thickness, but does not display the strong anchor to handle bull rushers. He is too inconsistent trying to finish, and can't generate the power needed to sustain. With his hip snap, he should be jolting defenders to get movement, but he loses quite a bit of his effectiveness by playing high in his stance. GRADE: 5.2

Run Blocking: Adequate drive blocker, but proved while playing guard that he does not have the sustained power to widen and maintain rush lanes. He is better in pass protection, preferring to park himself at the line of scrimmage and let the action come to him rather than explode off the snap to gain movement. He has the quick first step to get in position, but has to improve his lower-body power and maintain a better pad level. When he stays low in his pads, he flashes decent ability to wash defensive linemen on down blocks and widen the hole, but he is just marginal as a cut blocker. GRADE: 5.7

Pass Blocking: Has natural knee bend, large hands and long arms to keep defenders at bay. He is good to mirror when he faces up to the edge rusher, but he sometimes retreats so far back, speedy edge rushers are quick to slip underneath. He has good slide agility, but needs to be more active with his hands when trying to finish. He is not going to shock anyone with his marginal hand punch and until he improves his lower-body strength, he would be a liability with his anchor working in-line as a guard, as he showed in 2008 that he simply can't handle the powerful bull rushers. Has the ability to sink his hips, but that inconsistent hand punch and lock-out ability, along with his late recovery when retreating, get him caught out of position. If he can improve his leg strength to sit down and anchor, he would be able to handle left tackle duties, despite his light frame. Right now, he projects to right tackle. GRADE: 6.2

Pulling/Trapping: Meredith is a marginal blocker on long pulls. On short traps, he lacks quick-twitch moves and great foot balance. He is better served on inside plays, as he does not stay low in his pads or take proper angles to cut down defenders on outside screens. He has loose hips, yet struggles to change direction when he overruns a play and because he plays so tall, he lacks the ability to sink his pads and cut block. On straight-line charges off the snap, he can lead block, but if a strong defender gets in his way, the rush lane will soon get clogged. When he hits the defender high, he lands with little pop on contact. GRADE: 5.3

Adjust on Linebacker Downfield: Meredith is more comfortable blocking at the line than getting into the second level to stalk, despite good timed foot speed. His feet tend to die under him moving in space and his base gets so narrow on the move, he spends a lot of time on the ground by tripping over his own feet. Has change-of-direction agility and could improve quickly in this area. GRADE: 5.5

Use of Hands/Punch: Meredith's biggest problem vs. physical defenders is that he lacks the hand punch to shock and jolt. He is more of a reach blocker with decent hand placement, but has to put more force behind hits. He likes to grab and lean into his opponent too often and because he gets reckless with his hands outside his frame, a strong surge by a defender will see him rocked back on his heels or have his opponent get a good piece of his jersey to jerk and control him. He doesn't have the raw power to flash enough punch and lock out ability to shock and jolt, but he does show good hand quickness to recoil (still gets too wide with his hands and this lets defenders into his chest too often, though). GRADE: 5.3

Reactions/Awareness: Very smart picking up games and twists up front. He mirrors his opponent when he does not retreat too far in his slide and when he keeps his feet shuffling. Is better reacting and adjusting to the defender's second move when he keeps his feet active. Has the vision and lateral quickness to pick up stunts and is not the type that will get fooled by the defender's multiple moves. GRADE: 7.1

Compares To: JORDAN BLACK, Jacksonville -- Meredith can match up to Black in terms of athleticism, but lacks the "sand in his pants" to anchor vs. the bull rush and showed in 2008 that he is not a pro guard prospect. He needs to improve his overall strength, add bulk and play with more aggression. Look for this player to be drafted much earlier based on his athletic skills than his production would indicate, but the "boom or bust" label applies.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.1

Meredith started 38 games at South Carolina, including eight at right guard, 11 at right tackle and 19 at left tackle … In his final two seasons, the lineman delivered 123 knockdowns, 17 touchdown-resulting blocks and six downfield blocks … During that span, he was penalized nine times (seven false starts, two holding calls) … Allowed seven quarterback pressures and seven sacks on 753 pass plays … Also recorded four solo tackles and recovered one fumble.

Recipient of the Harold White Grade Point Average Award (3.7 GPA) … Meredith started nine of the 11 games he appeared in … The NCAA ruled him ineligible to play in the team's first two contests vs. North Carolina State and Virginia … A right ankle sprain in fall camp was again re-injured vs. Louisiana State, missing most of that game while seeing very limited action the next two weeks vs. Tennessee and Arkansas … Was the team's starting left tackle in his first 2008 appearance, vs. Georgia, and then shifted to left guard for the balance of the schedule … Recorded 48 knockdowns with five touchdown-resulting blocks and two down field blocks, grading 80.0% for blocking consistency … Penalized twice and allowed four quarterback sacks and two pressures … Part of a front wall that saw the Gamecocks slip to 97th in the nation in total offense (316.54 yards per game), 96th in scoring (20.77 ppg), 112th in rushing (94.08 ypg) and 111th in sacks allowed (3.00 spg).

North Carolina State and Virginia … Forced to sit out the first two games of the season by the NCAA, as part of an agreement for granting him a red-shirt year in 2005, when he played in the seventh game of that campaign vs. Vanderbilt.

Georgia … Meredith saw his first action in 2008, lining up at left tackle, as he made four knockdowns, but was also called for a false start on a first-&-10 snap at the SC 42 late in the first quarter … Head to Head Competition-DE#58-Demarcus Dobbs (6:02-282)-Two solo tackles … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded four knockdowns, but was penalized once, grading 73% … Helped the team gain 18 yards with no touchdowns on 16 carries (1.13 ypc) and generate 289 total yards on 56 snaps (5.16 yards per play).

Wofford … Meredith shifted to left offensive guard, delivering seven knockdowns as the team generated 376 yards … Cleared a rush lane used by Brian Maddox for a first quarter 7-yard scoring burst that ended a 6-play, 71-yard series … In the second quarter, he saw QB Chris Smelley fumble the ball after Meredith let defensive tackle Mitch Clark slip into the backfield to sack the Gamecocks passer for a 10-yard loss, as Clark recovered the ball at the 50-yard line … Head to Head Competition-DT#91-Mitch Clark (6:01-252)-One solo tackle, a 10-yard sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, on pass deflection … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded seven knockdowns and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 81% … Helped the team gain 172 yards with one touchdown on 42 carries (4.10 ypc) and generate 376 total yards on 76 snaps (5.00 yards per play).

Alabama-Birmingham … Meredith followed with six knockdowns, leading the way on a second quarter touchdown drive, as SC tallied 353 yards … On a third-&-goal snap, he got underneath defensive tackle D.J. Reese to open a rush lane used by Stephen Garcia for a 5-yard touchdown run … Head to Head Competition-DT#91-Tim Davis (6:01-252)-Two solo tackles … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded six knockdowns and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 83% … Helped the team gain 158 yards with one touchdown on 45 carries (3.51 ypc) and generate 353 total yards on 78 snaps (4.53 yards per play).

Mississippi … The left guard had a quiet day, posting four knockdowns in his battle with All-SEC defensive tackle Peria Jerry … Head to Head Competition-DT#98-Peria Jerry (6:02-310)-Two tackles (1 solo) … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded four knockdowns, grading 75% … Helped the team gain 78 yards with no touchdowns on 35 carries (2.23 ypc) and generate 405 total yards on 67 snaps (6.04 yards per play).

Kentucky … Meredith had problems containing the bull rush, allowing two sacks and three tackles behind the line of scrimmage, as he posted seven knockdowns that included one touchdown-resulting block … He cut down linebacker Johnny Williams on a blitz to give QB Chris Smelley time to fire a 16-yard scoring strike to Kenny McKinley late in the second quarter … Late in the third stanza, Meredith failed to pick up defensive tackle Myron Pryor on an 8-yard sack of QB Stephen Garcia and in the fourth quarter, Pryor again beat the left guard to sack Garcia for minus 5 yards … Head to Head Competition-DT#98-Myron Pryor (6:01-310)-Four tackles (3 solos), two sacks for minus 13 yards, three stops for losses of 15 yards … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded seven knockdowns, one down field block and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 76% … Helped the team gain 74 yards with no touchdowns on 34 carries (2.18 ypc) and generate 348 total yards on 71 snaps (4.90 yards per play).

Louisiana State … Meredith missed the bulk of the game after suffering a right ankle sprain … He was also playing with a left ankle sprain.

Tennessee and Arkansas … Saw just limited action while recovering from a right ankle sprain that he suffered vs. Louisiana State.

Florida … Meredith returned to the lineup, making five knockdowns while not allowing any tackles, but the offense managed just 173 yards … Head to Head Competition-DT#92-Terron Sanders (6:02-300)-No tackles … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded five knockdowns, grading 83% … Helped the team gain 53 yards with no touchdowns on 25 carries (2.12 ypc) and generate 173 total yards on 62 snaps (2.79 yards per play).

Clemson … The left guard had his finest game for the 2008 season, grading 85% as he made six knockdowns and a touchdown-resulting block for a unit that amassed 304 yards … Late in the second quarter, he picked up the blitz, taking down middle linebacker Brandon Maye on Chris Smelley's 16-yard touchdown toss to Patrick DiMarco … In the third quarter, he slipped off a block and defensive tackle Jarvis Jenkins got into the backfield to pressure Smelly into throwing an incomplete pass at the SC 14 … Head to Head Competition-DT#99-Jarvis Jenkins (6:01-310)-One solo tackle, one QB pressure … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded six knockdowns, one down field block and one touch-down-resulting block, grading 85% … Helped the team gain 92 yards with no touchdowns on 26 carries (3.54 ypc) and generate 304 total yards on 73 snaps (4.16 yards per play).

Iowa (Outback Bowl) … Meredith closed out his career with a season-high eight knock-downs, adding a touchdown-resulting block while holding All-Big Ten defensive tackle Mitch King to two solo stops … Midway through the third quarter, he was penalized for holding on a second-&-8 snap at the SC 38 … He made up for that miscue by leveling King on a 10-yard scoring lob from Chris Smelley to tight end Jared Cook that capped a 68-yard, 6-play fourth quarter series … Head to Head Competition-DT#47-Mitch King (6:03-264)-Two solo tackles … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded eight knockdowns and one touch-down-resulting block, grading 84% … Helped the team gain 43 yards with no touchdowns on 14 carries (3.07 ypc) and generate 313 total yards on 64 snaps (4.89 yards per play).

ESPN Academic All-District selection … Started all 12 games at left offensive tackle, collecting 75 knockdowns while leading the Gamecocks with 12 touchdown-resulting blocks … Added four downfield blocks, but was penalized seven times (six false starts, one holding call) … Gave up five quarterback pressures and three sacks on 443 pass plays, as he finished with an 81.42% grade for blocking consistency … Was part of an offense that finished third in the Southeastern Conference and 37th in the country in passing (258.17 ypg) … The ground attack struggled though, placing 101st in the nation with an average of 113.67 yards per game, as the front wall ranked 92nd in the country in sacks allowed (2.58 spg) … Also recorded three solo tackles, including one each vs. Mississippi State, Florida and Tennessee and recovered a fumble in the Georgia contest.

Louisiana-Lafayette … Meredith opened the season in explosive fashion, as he produced a career-high 11 knockdowns to go with a personal-best blocking consistency grade of 96% … Late in the second quarter, Cory Boyd used a hole created by Meredith between left guard and tackle for a 2-yard score … In the third frame, the left tackle leveled rush end Rodney Hardeway on Boy's 4-yard touchdown march that ended an 11-play, 73-yard series … Head to Head Competition-DE#97-Terrell Richardson (6:05-237)-One solo tackle …

Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded eleven knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks, grading a career high 96% … Helped the team gain 195 yards with two touchdowns on 41 carries (4.76 ypc) and generate 433 total yards on 70 snaps (6.19 yards per play).

South Carolina State … The left tackle totaled six knockdowns, including a touchdown-resulting block for an offense that generated 408 yards … He was called for a false start in the second quarter, but in the fourth frame, he clobbered linebacker Tony White down field to spring tailback Cory Boyd for a 29-yard scoring burst … Head to Head Competition-DE#45-Marcus James (6:02-237)-No tackles … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded six knockdowns, one down field block and one touchdown-resulting block, grading 88% … Helped the team gain 223 yards with one touchdown on 37 carries (6.03 ypc) and generate 408 total yards on 66 snaps (6.18 yards per play).

Tennessee … Meredith graded 87%, delivering eight knockdowns to help the squad gain a season-high 501 yards … At the start of the second quarter, he tackled Eric Berry at the SC 44 after the defensive back picked off a Chris Smelley third-&-9 pass for a 13-yard return …

Midway through the third quarter, he upended defensive tackle Demonte' Bolden to clear a rush lane used by QB Blake Mitchell for a 1-yard scoring run … Head to Head Competition-DE#89-Antonio Reynolds (6:03-270)-Three assisted tackles … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded eight knockdowns, one down field block and one touchdown-resulting block, making one solo tackle and grading 87% … Helped the team gain 172 yards with two touchdowns on 39 carries (4.41 ypc) and generate 501 total yards on 89 snaps (5.63 yards per play).

Florida … Meredith registered nine knockdowns with a pair of touchdown-resulting blocks against a tough Gators defense that gave up 384 yards … He opened the second quarter by chasing down Tony Joiner at the SC 44 after the safety intercepted a third-&-10 Blake Mitchell pass for an 11-yard run back … On a first-&-goal snap, he pushed defensive end Jermaine Cunningham out of the way on Cory Boy's 3-yard touchdown run … With 4:08 left in the game, Meredith cleared space between left tackle and guard for Boyd's 2-yard scoring burst that finished an 87-yard, 8-play possession … Head to Head Competition-DE#49-Jermaine Cunningham (6:03-234)-Three solo tackles, one QB pressure … Offensive Impact-Meredith recorded nine knockdowns and two touchdown-resulting blocks, making one solo tackle and grading 87% … Helped the team gain 68 yards with three touchdowns on 26 carries (2.62 ypc) and generate 384 total yards on 70 snaps (5.49 yards per play).

Presented the Andrew Sorensen Scholar-Athlete Award for Football … Started all thirteen games, lining up at right tackle for the seven contests before taking over left tackle duties … Named the Southeastern Conference's Offensive Lineman of the Week vs. Clemson … Registered 62 knockdowns and eight touchdown-resulting blocks, as the Gamecocks ranked 19th in the nation in passing (250.69 ypg), 21st in pass efficiency (146.55 rating) and 20th in total offense (395.0 ypg).

Meredith played in every game, seeing action at both offensive tackle positions … Moved into the starting lineup at right tackle midway through the Arkansas clash, going on to start four late season games, including vs. Missouri in the Independence Bowl … Produced 34 knockdowns and six touchdown-resulting blocks, including eight knockdowns in his first career start, vs. Kentucky … Helped the team average 315.92 yards n total offense, 23.67 points and 220.75 yards passing per game.

Appeared briefly as a reserve offensive tackle in the team's seventh game of the season vs. Vanderbilt … Was granted a redshirt year by the NCAA, but had to agree to sitting out two contests in 2008 in order to retain freshman eligibility.

2008: Suffered a right ankle sprain when a defender rolled on his leg during a scrimmage in fall camp (8/08).

Re-injured his right ankle and also suffered a slight left ankle sprain, missing most of the Louisiana State (10/18), Tennessee (11/01) and Arkansas (11/08) games before returning to the lineup.

Campus: 5.11 in the 40-yard dash … 1.80 10-yard dash … 2.95 20-yard dash … 4.78 20-yard shuttle … 7.87 three-cone drill … 28 1/2-inch vertical jump … 9'2" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 21 times … 33 1/8-inch arm length … 9 7/8-inch hands.

Combine: 4.99 in the 40-yard dash … 1.69 10-yard dash … 2.84 20-yard dash … 4.82 20-yard shuttle … 8.01 three-cone drill … 28-inch vertical jump … 8'9" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 31 times … 34 1/2-inch arm length … 10-inch hands.

Attended Hillcrest (Simpsonville, S.C.) High School, playing three seasons as a strong-side defensive end for head coach Wayne Garrick … Earned All-League honors as a senior and received a two-star prospect rating from Rivals.com.

Graduated in May, 2008, with a degree in Sport and Entertainment Management, as he earned several academic honors by accumulating a 3.7 grade point average … Spent the 2008 Fall Semester taking an elective course load that included a golf class with right tackle Justin Sorensen. The two went out at lunchtime and played six to nine holes a couple of days a week. "(Sorensen) was trying to help me out because he was already used to golfing," Meredith said. "I'm still not very good." … Born James J. Meredith on 5/11/86 … Resides in Simpsonville, South Carolina.