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Even though he graduated from high school in 2004, Alan Branch's name regularly floats into the conversation of local prep football coaches.

"We'll talk about him all the time," former Cibola coach Ben Schultz said of Branch. "All of us have been fortunate enough to coach guys that went on to bigger and better things."

Schultz paused.

"But he was phenomenal."

Several NFL pundits agree. They regard the 6-foot-6, 311-pound Branch as one of college football's elite defensive linemen and a first-round pick. One organization, Scouts Inc., ranks Branch as the nation's No. 3 pro prospect.

To the surprise of few, Branch declared himself eligible Monday for April's NFL Draft.

For Schultz and Branch's local peers, Monday's move was just another step toward what they considered the inevitable: Branch's starring in the NFL.

"Oh yeah," Erik Cook blurted when asked if he expected Branch to be an NFL prospect. The two played together at Cibola.

"I was a year younger, and I grew up watching him . . . If I ever had to block him at practice, he would dominate me - and I was pretty good."

Good enough to play at New Mexico. Good enough to know NFL talent. Cook's older brother Ryan, a former Lobos center and Cibola graduate, was drafted in last year's second round by Minnesota.

"(Branch) never came off the field," the younger Cook said.

How could he?

Branch, the son of former UNM football player David Branch, had been blessed with the physical tools so crucial in football: size, strength and speed.

Schultz used Branch everywhere. Tight end. Defensive end. Linebacker. Defensive tackle. Fullback. Running back. Kicker. He also starred for the Cibola basketball team.

"Everything we asked him to do, he'd do," Schultz said.

But what else do you expect from a player whose childhood dream was to play in the NFL, as he told the Associated Press on Monday.

Branch could not be reached by The Tribune on Monday. His mother, Valarie, declined to comment.

"It was surprising how tough of a decision it was," Branch said to the AP. "I really sat and talked to my parents and really discussed how I felt in my heart to see if I was ready for this big, life-changing thing. I feel like I'm ready and following my heart."