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Branden Albert OG Virginia
STRENGTHS
Branden is a massive, athletically talented offensive
lineman. He is strong and powerful; his quickness for a
person his size is remarkable. Branden shows good quickness
out of his stance as well as a competitive streak when he is
challenged. Branden has the ability to be an excellent left
guard at the next level. He is quick and strong enough to
handle a bull rush and also does a solid job in pass
protection.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE
As with all offensive linemen in a draft, Branden will have
to learn to be more consistent in using his techniques.
Because he is so tall, he can get a little lazy off the
snap, play high and lose leverage. At the college level
this is not a problem, but he will learn that at the pro
level, this will not do. Branden also does not seem to have
the lateral agility to play tackle, but it is possible that
he could play RT at the next level in a pinch. The truth is
that left guard will be his impact position and RT might be
a back up alternative, but will not be his strength.
TALENT BOARD ROUND 1
Branden might not be picked in the first round, but he should
be. I guess as he works out, teams will start to notice how big
and athletic this kid is. It was smart of him to come out early
because the challenges were not at the college level for this
kid and he would have gotten into some bad habits because he is
a lot better than most of the opposing players. In the NFL, the
challenge will be there for him to get better and he will. He
looks like a good smart kid, but does have a tendency to play
down to the level of his opponent. The truth is, in this draft,
I believe that Branden might be the third best offensive
lineman. Because he is a guard and not a tackle, he might drop
a round, but in my opinion, that would be a big mistake. To me,
the left guard position is almost as important in pass blocking
as the left tackle position. Look at the Seattle Seahawks --
when they let their LG Steve Hutchinson go in free agency, they
still kept the other linemen. However, after Steve was let go,
they had no one to replace him and the Seahawks have struggled
in the passing game ever since. Branden is under the radar, but
I bet after the combine, he will jump up most team’s charts
because, as I said, a good Left guard is as hard to find as a
good left tackle and this kid blocks as well in the passing game
as he blocks for the running game. Believe me, you jump on a
kid like this as soon as you can in a draft. Don’t be surprised
if he is drafted in the first round. In fact, be very happy
your team was smart enough to do it. |
