I heard it said earlier this week that this year's draft provides great depth. While there are a few stud skill position players – especially running back Darren McFadden and possibly quarterback Matt Ryan -- this month's draft also provides a number of quality players, especially on the offensive and defensive line.

Everyone already knows about Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey of LSU, but let me toss another name at you that has started to rise the board very quickly.

And, guess what, he's another Wahoo.

It's Virginia guard Branden Albert, a guy who was projected as a second- or even third-round pick just a month ago but is almost certain to go in Round 1 now. But why?

Well, to answer that you just have to look at Albert's versatility, or at least the potential that he has to play tackle and not just guard at the professional level.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder from Glen Burnie High School in Rochester, N.Y., who started all 36 games of his collegiate career at Virginia, made two starts last season at left tackle for injured starter Eugene Monroe. That versatility, and his strong play in those games -- wins over Pittsburgh and Middle Tennessee State -- has him climbing the draft board faster than King Kong going up the Empire State Building.

In his most recent mock draft, ESPN guru Mel Kiper Jr. has Albert going fifth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. That's how far the relatively unknown Albert has risen since the end of the season.

And it's not like draft history, or that of the Kansas City Chiefs, is on Albert's side.

Only five times in the history of the draft have the Chiefs drafted a guard in the first round -- and two of those came in the same year, 1968. Kansas City hasn't drafted a guard in round one since taking West Virginia's Brian Jozwiak with the seventh pick in 1986. Unfortunately for Jozwiak and the Chiefs, he didn't work out. He played just 28 games in three seasons before having his career ended by a serious knee injury.

Furthermore, another strike against Albert is that Kansas City has only drafted four Virginia players ever. Do the names Billy Baber, Matt Blundin, Bob Olderman or Stuart Anderson ring a bell? I didn't think so.

Nevertheless, while teammate Chris Long is getting all the headlines, Albert is starting to make a name for himself in draft circles.

Just a month ago, Albert, who is considered the top guard prospect in this year's draft by DraftStock.com, was being considered a late first day or early second day pick after he didn't separate himself from the rest of the pack at the NFL Combine. Shoot, some draft boards even had Oregon State's Roy Schuening as the top offensive guard.

But Albert's immediate future changed when teams started to consider him at tackle, a position far more appealing to NFL teams when it comes to the top of the draft then guard.

After Virginia's 31-28 loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl, Albert declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft, bypassing his senior season with the Cavaliers. While he didn't immediately submit his paperwork to the league, stating he was leaving school early, he eventually did after taking the advice of his head coach Al Groh.

"I would rather go off Coach Al Groh than anybody because he's a great resource," Albert told The Associated Press. "I feel like he cares about me, that he would tell me what I need to know, not what I want to hear. He won't tell me his own selfish reasons to either stay or go.

"I have been thinking about this decision for about the last month," the first-team all-ACC selection told The Roanoke ( Va.) Times in January. "I've known for the last week or so that I'm going to come out."

And as it's starting to turn out, the decision looks as if it will be a good one, if not a common one for Virginia players.

The Charlottesville, Va., school is not known for its football prowess, though Groh has definitely developed some good players in his years as head coach.

Only 13 Virginia players have been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, ever. And only one, halfback Bill Dudley in 1942, went first overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That didn't turn out too shabby for the Steelers as Dudley played nine seasons, including three Pro Bowls, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Virginia just may have its second top overall pick this year in Chris Long, the son of former Raiders great Howie Long.

But how does history stack up for Albert, a third team All-American in 2007? Not so good, honestly.

Only one other time has a Virginia offensive guard been drafted in the first round -- that was Tom Glassic, the 15th overall selection by the Denver Broncos in 1976. And only once has Virginia had two players drafted in the first round of the same draft. In 1997, the New York Jets chose outside linebacker James Farrior with the eighth overall pick. At pick No. 25, defensive end Jon Harris was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.

But that all might change later this month.

Albert could be the second Virginia offensive lineman in three years to be drafted in the Top 5. In 2006, the New York Jets selected tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the fourth overall pick. But, unlike Ferguson, who was being considered a top pick from the get-go, Albert comes into the draft with an air of uncertainty surrounding him.

Can he really play left tackle in the NFL? What did scouts learn, if anything, from his two-game audition at the position last season?

Well, they learned this much. No matter whether he plays guard or tackle, he'll need to improve on his pass protection after allowing 5.5 sacks in 2007. But if he can do that and live up to the expectations being thrown out there for him, he could be a promising player for years to come.

Not too shabby for a guy who didn't start playing football until his junior year of high school, and only because his older brother, Ashley, told him to.

As it's starting to turn out, Ashley Albert might've known what he was talking about all along. And younger brother Branden is about to cash in on his brother's advice.

Michael Hicks is the managing editor for Draft Stock and an associate editor for the SportsBuff.com