Branden B. Albert III (born November 4, 1984 in Rochester, New York) is an American football offensive tackle for the
Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chiefs 15th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.
Albert grew up in a single-parent home in Rochester, New York. He failed his freshman year of high school twice and nearly flunked out of school midway through his third year as a ninth-grader. His mother, Susan Albert, decided to send him to Washington, D.C., where his older brother Ashley Sims, a defensive lineman for the Maryland Terrapins from 1994 to 1997, worked as a probation officer. As a junior at Glen Burnie High School, he started playing football. He was also a part of the basketball team, which made it to the state finals the final two years of Albert's career.
Pro Career:
Third-year pro has started 29 games at left tackle since joining the Chiefs as the 15th overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft ... Appears poised to take the next step in his development after continuing to progress in the club’s off-season program ... Has held his own against some of the league’s best pass rushers the past two seasons ... Is once again expected to man the Chiefs left tackle post after starting 14 games at that position in 2009 ... Despite missing all four preseason games with a foot injury suffered at training camp as a rookie in 2008, started 15 games at left tackle ... Entered the 2008 NFL Draft with a year of eligibility remaining.
Games Played/Games Started: 2008 KC (15/15), 2009 KC (14/14) - 29/29.
Transactions: Signed with Kansas City (7/24/08) ... Selected with the second of the Chiefs two first-round selections (15th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft.
2009: Started 14 games at left tackle and was inactive for two contests with an ankle injury ... Started at left tackle before leaving with an ankle injury vs. Dallas (10/11) and was inactive at Washington (10/18) and vs. San Diego (10/25) with that injury ... Returned to the starting lineup at LT at Jacksonville (11/8).
2008: Started 15 games at left tackle and was inactive for one contest ... Started his first career game at left tackle at New England (9/7) ... Left the game in the second quarter with an elbow injury vs. Denver (9/28) and was inactive at Carolina (10/5) with that injury ... Returned to the starting lineup at left tackle vs. Tennessee (10/19).
College: Started all 37 games during his three-year career at Virginia ... Started all 13 games as a junior in 2007, lining up 11 contests at left guard and two games at left tackle ... Earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors ... Opened all 12 contests at left guard as a sophomore in 2006, earning All-ACC honorable mention accolades ... Started 12 games at left guard as a true freshman in 2005 ... Garnered third-team freshman All-America honors and freshman All-ACC team accolades from The Sporting News ... Became just the fourth true freshman to start a bowl game in Virginia history when he got the opening nod in the Music City Bowl vs. Minnesota ... Majored in Sociology at Virginia.
Personal:
• A two-way prep standout at Glen Burnie High School in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
• Played both defensive tackle and offensive tackle during his junior and senior seasons.
• Picked up first-team All-Metro accolades as an offensive lineman by the Baltimore Sun.
• Also earned second-team all-metro honors on the basketball court, averaging 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a senior.
• Spent one year playing football at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia in 2004.
• Brother, Ashley Sims, played football at Maryland (’96).
