Albert’s watching his value skyrocket

By Andy Bitter

Published: April 23, 2008

When Branden Albert declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft shortly after the Gator Bowl, he was outwardly confident that he would be a first-day pick. Inwardly, he thought he had first-round potential.

But months later, the former Virginia guard has made a meteoric rise up most draft boards. Some prognosticators, including ESPN guru Mel Kiper Jr., have Albert going as high as fifth overall, something the 23-year-old certainly didn’t envision when he chose to bypass his senior season and something he doesn’t even completely comprehend now.

“Coming out as a junior, when you make that decision, you don’t know if anyone will really pay attention to you,” Albert said. “I knew I had the talent to play football, but you just don’t know.”

Albert didn’t know it at the time, but the best thing to happen to his draft stock was left tackle Eugene Monroe’s knee injury last fall.

Monroe missed UVa’s games against Pittsburgh and Middle Tennessee, prompting the Cavaliers to shift Albert from left guard to left tackle.

It was the perfect showcase. Albert more than held his own in Monroe’s absence and NFL teams, always seeking a long-term solution at the coveted left tackle position, took note.

“Just from the two games, you can’t really evaluate a person on it,” Albert said. “But you can see the potential.”

His versatility is an added bonus. Albert, who is agile for his 6-foot-7, 316-pound frame, is confident he can play guard or tackle on both sides, covering four of the offensive line’s five positions.

“Teams that are interested don’t have to say he’s a guard or he’s a tackle,” Virginia coach Al Groh said.

“If they need a lineman, he’s whatever lineman they need him to be.”

Albert’s increasing stock mirrors his transition from high school to college. He was a lightly-recruited football player more known for his basketball skills in Glen Burnie, Md., where he lived with his older brother Ashley Sims, a former Maryland linebacker who turned him on to the game.

Albert transformed himself into a prime recruit at Hargrave Military Academy and played for Virginia immediately, starting all 35 games of his college career and earning the most votes of any guard in all-ACC balloting last year.

His rise on draft boards seems to have caught most NFL people off guard as well. Invites to New York for the draft went out long before Albert was projected as going in the top half of the first round.

Instead, he’ll watch the process unfold at his brother’s place in Edgewood, Md., outside of Baltimore, which is fine by him.

“Why would it bother me?” he said of the non-invite. “When I came out of school, people projected me as a second-round pick.

“If I go top five I’ll be happy. If I go top 10 I’ll be happy. If I go top 20 I’ll be happy.”