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Maple Grove’s Sam Renner To Participate In Packers Camp: Reports
The former University of Minnesota Gophers defensive lineman is set to get another chance to earn a spot in the NFL, according to reports.
MAPLE GROVE, MN — Former Maple Grove Senior High football star Sam Renner is expected to try out for the Green Bay Packers later this month, according to reports.
The 25-year-old defensive lineman from the University of Minnesota is among three former Gophers headed to NFL tryouts in May, alongside cornerback Coney Durr and defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney, Andy Greder of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.
Renner, who graduated from Maple Grove Senior High in 2015, featured in 37 games for Minnesota and recorded 56 tackles, including 30 solo tackles, and five sacks, according to GopherSports.com.
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He earned academic All Big-Ten honors in three seasons (2017-2019), and won the Butch Nash Award (twice) and the Bob McNamara Award in college.
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University of Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck called Renner the “unsung hero of the defense” during his senior season in 2019, the Star Tribune reported.
Renner was not selected during the 2020 NFL Draft but signed a contract with the Los Angeles Rams shortly after the draft ended, CCX Media reported.
He was released by the Rams in August 2020 before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February 2021. Renner appeared in at least one preseason game for the Buccaneers but was waived by the team in August, according to CBS Sports. He has not yet played a competitive snap in the NFL.
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Renner did not workout for NFL scouts and teams at a Pro Day in 2020 after his senior season, as it was canceled after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Renner was among a group of former Gophers who participated in March in the University of Minnesota’s Pro Day ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft.
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