Branden Albert couldn?t have been more wrong.
The offensive tackle said he thought the Kansas City Chiefs had lost all interest in selecting him because they hadn?t called him since the start of the National Football League Draft.
The 6-foot-5, 309-pounder thought he was headed to Philadelphia as the 19th overall pick, but with one phone call, everything changed for the former star at Glen Burnie High School as he sat on the tan couch inside his brother?s home in Edgewood.
It was from Carl Peterson, Kansas City?s general manager, and coach Herm Edwards, who informed him the team had traded up two spots to the 15th pick to get their man.
Shortly after his name was announced to a worldwide audience by Roger Goodell, the NFL?s commissioner, Albert wept as he hugged his brother, Ashley Sims, his mother, Susan, and other friends and relatives. Sims brought Albert to Maryland from Rochester, N.Y., six years ago to help provide more structure in his life. Albert, who grew up playing basketball, did not compete in football until his junior year at Glen Burnie.
“It said a lot to me by everything the Kansas City Chiefs did to get me,” Albert said. “Right now, all I?m concentrating on is trying to help this team win.”
The Kansas City Chiefs? selection of Albert, who starred at the University of Virginia, came after they used the fifth overall pick to select Glenn Dorsey, a 6-foot-1, 297-pound All-American defensive tackle from Louisiana State.
Albert and Dorsey both should start right away for Kansas City, which is coming off a disastrous, 4-12 season.
For Sims, Albert?s selection justified the years spent getting him to realize his vastpotential. Albert also promised to return to school to finish his sociology degree, as he declared for the draft following his junior year.
He also should have plenty of money to continue his education. Lawrence Timmons, who was selected with the 15th pick overall in last year?s draft, signed an incentive-laden, five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers that could earn him as much as $15 million.
“We?ve shed a lot of tears of joy.” Sims said. “His thanks to us has nothing to do with what he can do monetarily. For him to be a success and get his education would be the ultimate thanks for our family.”
