Late-blooming Albert makes quick rise up draft boards

Jameel Sewell created a special nickname for his starting offensive linemen.
The guys protecting Virginia’s quarterback were affectionately called “Hogs.”
One, for obvious reasons, stood out even further. And for that, Branden Albert drew an special designation with the comical slug from Sewell.
“He considered me the head hog so he called me ‘Boss Hog,’” Albert joked Thursday.
It was Albert’s escape from a different nickname that sums up the ever-improving storybook progression that will include a new chapter when his name is called Saturday in the first round of the NFL draft.
As teenager in Rochester, N.Y., Albert was called “Cheeseburger” - which was later shortened to “Burger” - by a friend during a pick-up basketball game.
Uncertain of her son’s commitment to academics and aware of the pitfalls facing him in a single-parent house, Albert’s mother sent “Burger” to Edgewood, Md., to live with his older brother, Ashley Sims.
“If I would have stayed in Rochester, I believe I probably wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now,” Albert said. “There are a lot of elements that surrounded my situation in Rochester that probably would have stopped me from being as successful as I’ve become.
“Rochester is not a bad place, but it has a lot of rough areas. With my mother being a single parent, she was trying to take care of a growing young man. She just felt me going with my brother was the best decision, which it was.”
A former defensive end at Maryland, Sims all but forced Albert to suit up for Glen Burnie’s football team.
“His brother said, ‘If you’re going to live here, you’re going to play football,’” said Virginia coach Al Groh.
With a stroke of luck, former UVa assistant Kevin Ross stumbled onto Albert while recruiting teammate Ron Darden. After Ross left to become the offensive coordinator at Army, another former assistant, Ron Prince, continued the successful recruiting efforts on both players.
“It was toward the end of the recruiting process that we came across some long-range, grainy tape,” Groh said. “He was really raw, but we brought him for a visit and, in talking to him, he sold us.”
After a one-year stint at Hargrave Military Academy to solidify his academics, Albert finally arrived in Charlottesville in 2005.
“I just remember the first day of camp when I saw him and I just said, ‘Wow.’ I knew he was going to be awesome,” said former UVa offensive lineman Gordie Sammis. “For him to live up to that was unbelievable.”
From a spot on at least one All-ACC rookie team to All-American status in his junior year, Albert remained steady and reliable throughout, starting every game in his career.
“Branden is a wonderful success story. He was not highly recruited coming out of high school, but was big, athletic and could run,” Groh said. “We took a chance on Branden and it proved a wise decision. He has been resolute in pursuing his goals, diligent in his approach and turned himself into a player with a very bright NFL future.”
After his final game, a loss in the Gator Bowl, Albert fought back tears. He knew at that point that he would be declaring for the draft the following day, forgoing his final year of eligibility. The 23-year-old did not, however, know what that meant.
“I knew I had the potential to be a first-round pick, but coming out as a junior, you never know if people are really paying attention to you,” Albert said. “I thought I might go in the second-round or late first-round, but to be where I am right now, I didn’t think so.”
Yes, Albert has seen his stock skyrocket. The possibility even remains that he could be taken Saturday before former teammate Chris Long.
Credit Albert’s success at the NFL Combine - he had a 26-inch vertical jump and a 4.78-second short shuttle - and an untimely knee injury last season for UVa left tackle Eugene Monroe.
In Monroe’s two-game absence, wins over Pittsburgh and Middle Tennessee State, Albert moved from left guard to left tackle.
“Just from the two games, you can’t really evaluate a person on it,” said Albert, who was a whisker under 6-foot-6 at the combine and currently weighs 316 pounds. “But you can see the potential.”
And teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, who select fifth, know of his versatility.
“Teams that are interested don’t have to say he’s a guard or he’s a tackle,” Groh said. “If they need a lineman, he’s whatever lineman they need him to be.”
Albert’s stock climbed so fast he was not invited to the draft in New York City, but he does not feel slighted.
“Why would it bother me?” he said. “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.”
Instead, Albert will watch the draft from the couch in his brother’s house, the spot where his career - and life - took off.
“He is a big part in where I am at,” Albert said, “so it is very fitting.”