Four years ago, Glen Burnie basketball coach Mike Rudd felt his star player, Branden Albert, had come across the opportunity of a lifetime ? a full scholarship to play basketball at Niagara University. But Albert turned down the full ride, and surprisingly, it may have been the best decision of his life.
Instead, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive lineman accepted a football scholarship to Virginia just two years after picking up the sport. And on Saturday, Albert is expected to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, where many experts have him going as high as seventh to the New England Patriots. Coincidentally, the Patriots are coached by Bill Belichick, who is an Annapolis native.
“Right now, I feel out of touch with reality,” Albert said. “Saturday is going to be the biggest day of my life, and I can?t believe this is really happening.”
Albert, 23, only started playing football after he moved to Anne Arundel County from Rochester, N.Y., to live with his brother, Ashley Sims, a former defensive end at Maryland. Albert?s mother, Susan, sent her younger son to Maryland to get away from negative influences in New York.
“I don?t want to sound cocky, but I knew Branden was capable of big things at an early age,” said Sims, 35, a parole officer who lives in Edgewood. “He was so athletic in so many sports. He just did things normal ?fat kids? couldn?t do in sports. It just feel so good to see the guidance our mom and me provided has worked so well.”
Albert played offensive and defensive line at Glen Burnie, where he had 65 tackles playing for Coach Brad Wilson, who now coaches at Westminster. However, Albert had a greater reputation on the hardwood, where he averaged 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds in leading the Gophers to the state semifinals in 2003 and 2004.
“I wanted to play against the best competition possible,” Albert said. “Going to Niagara would have been a nice opportunity, but I wanted the chance to dedicate myself to football.”
While defensive tackle Chris Long has garnered most of the headlines among Virginia?s draft-eligible players, arguably no one has had their value increase as rapidly as Albert, who declared for the draft in January with one year of eligibility remaining.
Albert played 35 games at guard for Virginia, but NFL evaluators began to notice him this season when he played two games at left tackle. In all, Albert has met with 10 teams in the last two weeks.
“[Albert] makes plays, finishes plays in space, he?s long, he?s athletic,” NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “He?s the kind of guy who down the road could be a left tackle. If so, his value will be higher. If somebody believes he?s a left tackle, he?ll be a Top 10 pick.”
Rudd couldn?t be happier for his former star player.
“I knew if Branden just put in the work he was going to go far,” Rudd said. “He is such a humble person, and he deserves everything good that comes his way.”
For Albert, both high school coaches remain special.
“Coach Rudd taught me how to win and how to be a team player,” he said. “Coach Wilson had faith in my abilities when I first started playing football and helped me excel on the field and find my confidence.”
