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Rio Rancho native Alan Branch finally learned he will be a Cardinal.

Branch, who was a star at Cibola High and shined at defensive tackle during three seasons at Michigan, tumbled to the first pick of the second round of this year's NFL draft. He was selected with the 33rd overall pick by Arizona. Most draft analysts projected Branch would be a top-15 pick soon after the college football season ended, prompting him to leave Michigan early to lock in his elite status.

Instead, Branch was not the top player selected at his position or the first Michigan player to get drafted. The slide, however, wasn't a big surprise. Branch had faced criticism leading up to the draft, with analysts questioning his work ethic and asserting he had stress fractures in his legs that made him a liability.

Branch said he suffered the stress fractures in high school, never missed a college game and was given a clean bill of health by 32 different team doctors who evaluated him during the NFL combine. He balked at the assertion he isn't a hard worker.

“I'm not surprised people are saying that I'm slow and lazy right now because they're looking to bring me down,” Branch said in an interview with the Tribune before the draft. “I've heard negative stuff before, and it just makes me better. It makes me focus harder to prove them wrong.”

Despite the nosedive in draft spots, Branch became the highest-drafted Albuquerque metro area high school standout to be selected in the draft since Eldorado High product Jim Everett was the third overall pick by the Houston Oilers in the 1986 draft.

Branch watched this year's draft with a large crowd of family members and friends at his home in Rio Rancho. He opted to keep a low public profile during the draft, enjoying the milestone with the people he credited with helping him achieve so much success.

Branch and his family said he is eager to join the ranks of New Mexico standouts, including Brian Urlacher and Hank Baskett, proving athletes from the small state can perform on the big stage.

“Alan, being from New Mexico, wasn't embraced the same way blue-chip athletes from places like California and Florida were, so he always has been eager to show the world that New Mexicans can compete against the best,” David Branch, Alan's father, said in an interview with the Tribune before the draft. “Brian Urlacher was the first to bring a lot of (acclaim) to the state and hopefully Alan is the next installment. I'm not comparing Alan to Brian Urlacher by any stretch of the imagination, but Brian opened that door to show New Mexico athletes can be successful and Alan wants to be the next person to hold the door open.”

Other players with New Mexico ties, including standout University of New Mexico linebacker Quincy Black, are still waiting to learn their fate. The first three rounds of the draft continue today. Rounds four through seven will held Sunday. The entire draft is being broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN2.