Atlas
04-22-2007, 05:29 PM
Branch: 'Breaking' to a high draft slot
After being named second-team All-American in his junior season at Michigan, defensive tackle Alan Branch decided to turn pro. His stock has risen rapidly over the past year, and some mock drafts have him getting picked as high as No. 6 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. In his exclusive NFL.com draft diary, Branch will check in as he prepares for the NFL Scouting Combine, Michigan's Pro Day, grueling visits with various NFL teams, and the final buildup to the draft.
LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2007) -- The Combine to me wasn't a physical test, it was more of a mental test. You're just put there, having to do absolutely nothing for a couple of hours, and then for maybe an hour you're moving here and moving there -- it's hectic all of a sudden. The situation you're put in plays a lot of mind games with you. I don't think it was that bad physically at all -- the challenge was the mental side.
I felt a lot of camaraderie with the other players, even though a lot of us are competing for the same position and are trying to do our best and look our best out there. All of us cheered each other on, trying to get each other hyped up to do better. I felt a lot of camaraderie.
From Michigan to where? DT Alan Branch waits to see where he'll go in the upcoming draft.
I don't know if you would call (any of the relationships forged there) friendships yet, but there was definitely a start to it at the Combine. One of my bigger opponents right now (in terms of draft positioning) is Amobe Okoye, and I talked to him a lot and he was a really cool guy. You could tell he was a really genuine, laidback guy. I think we will have a friendship going forward as we play in the NFL.
A lot of guys out there you'd meet up with and then see them again later at a different drill and have an instant icebreaker to talk about things after having seen them earlier.
The weird part was getting asked questions by the coaches. They asked what I did in my spare time, and I told them I liked to watch break dancing because I used to break dance back in the day. And no ever believed me. So about three of the teams had me show them some moves -- that was kind of weird. I thought it would be more professional, but the coaches were laidback and good guys.
And to set the record straight on my break dancing, I don't do that much groundwork. I do a lot of uprocking, a lot of poses, hollarbacks. I'm not the ground-type who does the six steps and all the stretch moves because I'm a big guy.
Overall, I feel that I did pretty well, but I feel I could have done a little better at position drills. I kept slipping, because I guess my cleats weren't catching, but I was slipping a lot.
Michigan Pro Day
I don't think it was any more comfortable since it was on campus; it was still the same to me as the Combine -- We're doing the same things. It was cool to have your friends there watching you, but really you're there just to do your best and try to show all the coaches what you've got. I feel that I didn't do as well for the Pro Day because I was sick for about the two weeks before that, so I wasn't really feeling that great. I didn't want any of the coaches to know, and I didn't tell anyone, so they were working me hard. They were working me really hard. (The critics) now say I get tired really easily, but I definitely don't feel that I get tired that easily. It's just that when you're under the weather, you're not going to be in your best condition.
Most of the football team from Michigan was there, and there were a ton of scouts. I couldn't even tell you how many people were there, actually.
But really, there's a rare occasion when I think I did well, because I'm my own worst critic, but I still would have liked to have done better at the Pro Day and the Combine.
Team visits
Actually, I'm not even dealing with (trips and visits) that much, because a lot of guys have done four or five trips and I've only done two. And I only have one more left. I met with Tampa Bay, I just got back from Washington Tuesday, and I've got Cleveland on Friday.
I have no theory on why I've taken fewer visits. I'm kind of nervous, but my agent is trying to keep me calm, letting me know that there are a couple of guys who only took one trip and still got drafted high, so I'm hoping that he's right!
You don't really go out on these team visits. I've stayed in the hotel most of the time.
When you meet the coaches, they're a little more laidback then they are at the Combine. They grill you more at the Combine with lots of football questions. Here, they just want to know your personality, what kind of person you are and if you'll fit in with the atmosphere of the team, so it's a lot more laidback.
I do definitely think I have been representing myself and my family well. I look at it as an interview process, which is the way you have to look at it. So I've dressed and acted like it is an interview, and I really feel I've been putting my best foot forward.
Going forward
I just think about it like this: I'm going to let the cards fall where they fall. There's nothing I can do that will make a drastic change in where I go or what teams think of me.
So right now I'm trying to lay back and relax, because it's a stressful time, and you can't let the stress take over you. So I'm trying to relax and let whatever happens happen.
For the draft, I'm going to stay in Albuquerque with a bunch of family and friends. It should be nice.
After being named second-team All-American in his junior season at Michigan, defensive tackle Alan Branch decided to turn pro. His stock has risen rapidly over the past year, and some mock drafts have him getting picked as high as No. 6 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. In his exclusive NFL.com draft diary, Branch will check in as he prepares for the NFL Scouting Combine, Michigan's Pro Day, grueling visits with various NFL teams, and the final buildup to the draft.
LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2007) -- The Combine to me wasn't a physical test, it was more of a mental test. You're just put there, having to do absolutely nothing for a couple of hours, and then for maybe an hour you're moving here and moving there -- it's hectic all of a sudden. The situation you're put in plays a lot of mind games with you. I don't think it was that bad physically at all -- the challenge was the mental side.
I felt a lot of camaraderie with the other players, even though a lot of us are competing for the same position and are trying to do our best and look our best out there. All of us cheered each other on, trying to get each other hyped up to do better. I felt a lot of camaraderie.
From Michigan to where? DT Alan Branch waits to see where he'll go in the upcoming draft.
I don't know if you would call (any of the relationships forged there) friendships yet, but there was definitely a start to it at the Combine. One of my bigger opponents right now (in terms of draft positioning) is Amobe Okoye, and I talked to him a lot and he was a really cool guy. You could tell he was a really genuine, laidback guy. I think we will have a friendship going forward as we play in the NFL.
A lot of guys out there you'd meet up with and then see them again later at a different drill and have an instant icebreaker to talk about things after having seen them earlier.
The weird part was getting asked questions by the coaches. They asked what I did in my spare time, and I told them I liked to watch break dancing because I used to break dance back in the day. And no ever believed me. So about three of the teams had me show them some moves -- that was kind of weird. I thought it would be more professional, but the coaches were laidback and good guys.
And to set the record straight on my break dancing, I don't do that much groundwork. I do a lot of uprocking, a lot of poses, hollarbacks. I'm not the ground-type who does the six steps and all the stretch moves because I'm a big guy.
Overall, I feel that I did pretty well, but I feel I could have done a little better at position drills. I kept slipping, because I guess my cleats weren't catching, but I was slipping a lot.
Michigan Pro Day
I don't think it was any more comfortable since it was on campus; it was still the same to me as the Combine -- We're doing the same things. It was cool to have your friends there watching you, but really you're there just to do your best and try to show all the coaches what you've got. I feel that I didn't do as well for the Pro Day because I was sick for about the two weeks before that, so I wasn't really feeling that great. I didn't want any of the coaches to know, and I didn't tell anyone, so they were working me hard. They were working me really hard. (The critics) now say I get tired really easily, but I definitely don't feel that I get tired that easily. It's just that when you're under the weather, you're not going to be in your best condition.
Most of the football team from Michigan was there, and there were a ton of scouts. I couldn't even tell you how many people were there, actually.
But really, there's a rare occasion when I think I did well, because I'm my own worst critic, but I still would have liked to have done better at the Pro Day and the Combine.
Team visits
Actually, I'm not even dealing with (trips and visits) that much, because a lot of guys have done four or five trips and I've only done two. And I only have one more left. I met with Tampa Bay, I just got back from Washington Tuesday, and I've got Cleveland on Friday.
I have no theory on why I've taken fewer visits. I'm kind of nervous, but my agent is trying to keep me calm, letting me know that there are a couple of guys who only took one trip and still got drafted high, so I'm hoping that he's right!
You don't really go out on these team visits. I've stayed in the hotel most of the time.
When you meet the coaches, they're a little more laidback then they are at the Combine. They grill you more at the Combine with lots of football questions. Here, they just want to know your personality, what kind of person you are and if you'll fit in with the atmosphere of the team, so it's a lot more laidback.
I do definitely think I have been representing myself and my family well. I look at it as an interview process, which is the way you have to look at it. So I've dressed and acted like it is an interview, and I really feel I've been putting my best foot forward.
Going forward
I just think about it like this: I'm going to let the cards fall where they fall. There's nothing I can do that will make a drastic change in where I go or what teams think of me.
So right now I'm trying to lay back and relax, because it's a stressful time, and you can't let the stress take over you. So I'm trying to relax and let whatever happens happen.
For the draft, I'm going to stay in Albuquerque with a bunch of family and friends. It should be nice.