Virginia offensive lineman Branden Albert got a late start in football, but that isn't holding him back as he readies for the 2008 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-7, 315-pound guard started at the University of Virginia as a true freshman and logged 36 games on the offensive line before leaving after his junior season.
Not bad for a former basketball player who didn't play football until his junior season of high school.
"I moved my brother to the University of Maryland and I moved in and it forced me to kind of play football," Albert said last month at the Scouting Combine. "I was always a basketball player. When I moved with him, that’s when I decided to play football."
Albert made the move to Maryland from Rochester, N.Y. for a set of better opportunities. He said he likely wouldn't be in his current situation if not for the move.
"It’s just a smaller place," he said of his New York home. "Not a lot of opportunities. Not a lot of people come to Rochester to look for talent. Maryland is a bigger place and there are a lot more things going on... My mother and brother felt like it would be a better opportunity for me in Maryland than Rochester."
It certainly seems the decision helped his career.
Also a top performer in the 40-yard dash, Albert is turning heads with his athletic ability. He is projected as the first guard taken in next month's Draft according to NFLDraftScout.com.
He is part of a growing trend of other-sport athletes jumping into football late in high school. He said he knew football would be his future the moment he signed a scholarship at Virginia. That's where he began to develop into a first-round talent.
Coaches at Virginia realized his skills quickly as head coach Al Groh is a veteran of the NFL.
"Coach Groh runs a pretty tight program, it comes from the pro background," Albert said last month. "That helped me out significantly with this whole process. That made me a tough player, a tough guy. He builds a program that helps you have good character."
Albert's stock has also lifted with versatility. He also has experience at left tackle.
"D’Brickashaw Ferguson was there my first year and the coaching staff felt like they had to find somewhere on the field for me," Albert said. "I played the left guard spot that year and they kept me there since then. I’d say my primary position is guard (but) I am also comfortable at tackle. Wherever a team wants to draft me, either position, I feel comfortable playing."
Ferguson was the fourth-overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Albert said Ferguson did not offer advice on entering the Draft early, but he did teach him about what to do away from football and how to build the off-field acumen NFL scouts love.
"I mainly learned off-the-field stuff (from Ferguson)," Albert said. "He’s a good character dude. On the field, he’s a player that is not a trash talker. He just gets the job done and does what he has to do."
Now with just 30 days remaining before the NFL Draft, Albert has moved into the next phase of his football development. He's only played the game for six years, but he knows the importance of identifying strengths and weaknesses.
"I’d say the main strength of my game is my athleticism (and) my pass blocking," he said. "One thing I do have to work on is my pad level on my down blocking and in-line blocking, that’s one thing I’m going to have to concentrate on."
RELATED LINKS:
- O-LINE: Previewing the offensive line
- PHOTOS: Photos of some of the 2008 NFL Draft prospects
- NFL DRAFT: Draft coverage from AtlantaFalcons.com
- SCOUTING COMBINE: AF.com at the Scouting Combine
- SENIOR BOWL: AF.com at the Senior Bowl
