A late bloomer, the first-year full-time starter stepped up to the challenge from several other Tigers for the left guard position in fall camp. He was having a banner season until hurting his left elbow vs. Maryland late in the year, missing the Duke game before returning to action wearing a restrictive sleeve to protect the injury.

His performance was good enough for him to earn All-American second-team honors, as his linemate, left tackle Barry Richardson, was a first-team selection, marking the first time in school history that two offensive linemen received national accolades in the same season.

One of the team's strongest players, boasting a 435-pound bench press, the former defensive tackle is still a neophyte when it comes to playing on the offensive line, with just 16 starting assignments on his resume. That lack of experience, coupled with his elbow injury and subsequent problems at the NFL Combine (left quad strain) and Clemson's Pro Day (right hamstring) has not given pro teams ample opportunity to evaluate him.

One of two natives from Virginia on Clemson's roster, McDuffie attended George Washington High School, playing football for head coach Everett Woods. He earned All-State honors and was selected Class AAA Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. In order to improve his academics, he spent the 2002 season at Hargrave Military Academy, where he was coached by Robert Prunty.

McDuffie enrolled at Clemson in 2003, spending the year acclimating to college life by competing on the scout team at defensive tackle. He appeared in 10 games on the defensive line in 2004, collecting 12 tackles (4 solos) with a stop behind the line of scrimmage and a quarterback pressure. He shifted to guard in 2005, performing in 11 games and 92 offensive snaps, registering 11 knockdowns.

As a junior, McDuffie took over left guard duties for the final six games, replacing an injured Dustin Fry. He produced 50 knockdown blocks while appearing in 340 plays, helping the Tigers average 410.9 yards per game, as he was part of one of the stingiest offensive lines in college with Clemson allowing just 15 sacks on 327 pass plays.

A All-American second-team choice by The Sporting News, McDuffie added All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in his only year as a full-time starter. Despite the elbow injury that saw him miss a portion of the Maryland game, sit out the Duke contest and play only in reserve vs. Boston College, he paced the Tigers with 77 knockdowns, adding one solo tackle while seeing action in 618 snaps.

Positives: Lacks muscle tone, but has a thick frame with wide hips and excellent lower body thickness, especially in the thighs and calves … One of the strongest players on the team, but needs to use it more often when generating a hand punch … Has enough foot quickness and leg energy to get in front on short-area pulls … Strikes with a thud vs. second-level defenders, but must take better angles to be more effective … Will play through pain, evident late in 2007 when he played with a left elbow ligament tear … Shows functional quickness off the snap, quickly gaining position vs. his opponents when working in-line … Has the quickness to reach the second level, but must stay lower in his pads or his high stance will affect his balance … Shows good snap quickness for explosion on contact … Creates pop with strength and energy in his effort … Has quick enough feet to adequately sustain vs. stationary targets … Gives good effort to generate movement in the running game … Works with a wide base and shows a solid anchor in pass protection, as he can mirror defenders with awareness as a pass-blocker … Even though he is more of a waist bender, he is effective at moving laterally and is capable of maintaining body control pulling for the outside ground attack … Combative with his hands when reaching defenders lined up over his outside shoulder … Has the punch to shock bull rushers, but must use it more often (feels his strength gets the result done with just one jab) … With his size and frame thickness, he can obliterate smaller defenders moving into the second level … On the move, he does a nice job of attacking the defender low to take out the feet of his opponent … When he sinks his weight, he is effective at anchoring and holding ground vs. the charge directed right at him.

Negatives: Has adequate foot quickness to mirror defenders in pass protection, but struggles to redirect because of added girth around his mid-section that sometimes prevents him from playing at a good pad level … Shows only adequate balance on pulls and needs to do a better job of locating second-level defenders … Struggles in the classroom and will have problems digesting a complicated playbook … Needs to play with more aggression, as he will take a few plays off … Needs to be pushed and prodded to perform in the offseason training program and has had weight issues in the past, more so from poor eating habits (carried an extra 20 pounds than the weight indicated by the school in 2007) and the added girth is noticeable in his inability to redirect … Gets a little top-heavy and struggles to get balanced off the snap, occasionally falling on his face … Struggles to gain position vs. defensive tackles who are on the move … Plays on the ground some and while he shows some knee bend as a run-blocker, but is more of a waist-bender … Has marginal hip roll for power, resulting in minimal movement as a run-blocker … Struggles to get out of his stance, but once he's up and running, he's able to locate defenders on short pulls … Fails to maintain balance due to his high pad level on pulls, striking more with his chest and using his strength to clear holes … Locates defenders only adequately at the second level, arriving with good quickness but showing just marginal flexibility … Will head-butt, rather than punch, to control his opponents in pass protection … Struggles to adjust to double moves as a pass-blocker … Uses a quick initial strike to shock opponents and a head-butt to control, but has only adequate hand usage to control and guide opponents in-line … Overall, shows poor foot quickness, as he has the ability to shadow in a single direction as a pass-blocker, but struggles to adjust to moves back across his face … Will occasionally fall on his face while reaching to lock onto his opponent, taking false steps and poor angles, failing to maintain position when dropping back to protect the pocket … Needs to mature off the field, as character issues from his freshman and senior year are a bit of a concern … Elbow ligament tear warrants further medical evaluation … Has shorter than ideal arms (31 1/8-inch length) and extremely small hands (7 5/8-inches) for an offensive lineman.

Compares To: CHUKKY OKOBI-Houston … While both are experienced at guard, McDuffie is better served as a stationary blocker rather than one that is on the move. He has great strength, but is more of a one-punch battler. Moving him to center will be beneficial, especially with his bulk and lower body strength to anchor. NFL teams would rather have a 330-pounder protecting their quarterback from nose guards as a center than sitting on the bench as a guard.

2005: Suffered a right ankle sprain vs. Wake Forest (10/01), but did not miss any game action.

2006: Played from early October on with a right wrist fracture, but did not miss any games.

2007: Suffered a left elbow ligament tear vs. Maryland (10/27), sitting out the following week vs. Duke (11/03), returning to action vs. Wake Forest, but had to wear a restrictive sleeve to protect the injury.

2008: Could not perform in the agility tests at the NFL Combine because of a left quadriceps muscle strain … Could not finish agility tests at Clemson's Pro Day (3/14) when he injured his right hamstring running a 40-yard dash.

Campus: 5.27 in the 40-yard dash … 1.77 10-yard dash … 3.0 20-yard dash … 21 ½-inch vertical jump … 7'11" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times … 435-pound bench press … 555-pound squat … 350-pound power clean (best on the team) … Second on the team in overall total strength (1,660 index) … 31 1/8-inch arm length … 7 5/8-inch hands … Right-handed … 18/36 Wonderlic score.

Combine: Bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times.

Attended George Washington (Danville, Va.) High School, playing football for head coach Everett Woods … Earned All-State honors and was selected Class AAA Defensive Player of the Year as a senior … In order to improve his academics, he spent the 2002 season at Hargrave Military Academy, where he was coached by Robert Prunty.

Received his degree in Community Recreation Management on December 20th, 2007 … Born 8/08/84 … Resides in Danville, Virginia.