Spring Break
Branch Eyeing Draft Saturday
Football
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Sports
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On Saturday, April 26 at 3 p.m., hundreds of young men will gather around the television and watch their careers unfold. To the average fan, the NFL draft is fun to follow, but to these men, it's the culmination of a lifelong passion for and dedication to football. It's a time to commemorate their career achievements in grand fashion. Some will attend the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Others with celebrate with their teammates and college friends.
But Tyvon Branch will be on the couch in his Cicero, N.Y., home with his immediate family.
"You know nobody from UConn is going to leave Spring Weekend," Branch joked.
See, Branch has never been one for the spotlight. Despite playing a position that is normally characterized by brash cockiness, Branch never went out of his way to generate attention. The attention has always come to him - specifically at last month's NFL Combine.
Branch went from a virtual unknown to a potential first-day selection after he ran a blistering 4.31 40-yard dash - second among all participants - and pounded out 19 bench press reps, which ranked fifth among cornerbacks. His stock has shot up so much since the combine that USA Today recently projected him as a first-round pick. He currently is slated as a second-round pick (No. 53 overall to Pittsburgh) on nfldraftcountdown.com and a third-rounder (No. 84 to Washington) in ESPN analyst Todd McShay's mock draft.
Branch tries not to read the mock drafts and the newspapers that are pegging him as a potential sleeper in the draft, however. In fact, he's gone through his whole collegiate career without reading much about himself.
"[UConn head coach Randy] Edsall's big on us not reading the clippings," Branch said. "To be honest, whenever I hear something like that it's usually my parents telling me they saw something."
And there's a reason why Branch's parents continue to read rave reviews about their son. Aside from his sparkling combine performance, Branch turned heads on the field, particularly in his senior season. "You can have all the combine numbers you want," he said, "but if you don't have any film you're not going anywhere."
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