In just his first season in the National Football League, former Cullman and University of Alabama star offensive lineman Wesley Britt has already experienced the highs and lows that come with being a professional football player.

After playing in the final game of his career with the Alabama Crimson Tide in a Music City Bowl loss to Minnesota, Britt was invited to attend the Senior Bowl, a prestigious postseason event which draws the top NFL scouts and coaches to Mobile for a week’s worth of practices and drills.

But Britt got his job interview off to a bad start when he suffered a minor fracture of his leg during the third day of practice. He was out for the remainder of the Senior Bowl and had to spend the next two months rehabbing from his latest injury.

Needing to make a big splash in his private workout to make a good final impression on scouts before the NFL Draft, Britt did just that on April 6. While his 40-yard dash time of 5.3 seconds inside the Alabama practice facility wasn’t as low as he was hoping, Britt turned a lot of heads when he showed off a vertical leap of 9-foot-4.

“The vertical is a real good judge of explosiveness,” said Kansas City scout Ken Meyer at Britt’s workout. “It shows a quick transfer of energy. Wesley did well for a big guy. Some big guys have some problems uncoiling some times, but he didn’t have that problem.”

After the workout Britt felt confident he would be selected in the first three rounds of the April 23 draft. It wasn’t to be.

Britt watched the first day of the draft from his parent’s home in Cullman, but never got the call from an NFL team. Fifteen lineman were selected in the first three rounds of the draft.

“I definitely don’t think those guys are as good as me,” Britt said that night. “That’s just something I’ll have to prove during my career.”

At last, the San Diego Chargers ended Britt’s long wait when they selected him in the fifth round with the 164th overall selection.

Britt signed a three-year deal with the Chargers prior to training camp with a $114,000 signing bonus, assuring he didn’t miss any practice time with his new team.

On Aug. 11, Britt got his first taste of NFL game action when he entered the Chargers’ first preseason contest in the second quarter at Green Bay. Britt played for the remainder of the game, earning praise from the coaching staff for his play.

“I enjoyed getting to be out there for so long and felt like I took advantage of it,” Britt said of the game. “I thought I did a good job blocking and holding my man down on the touchdown pass that (Chargers quarterback) Phillip Rivers threw.”

Britt’s fairly strong performance in the preseason made his cut from the Chargers on Sept. 3 a surprising move. The Chargers decided against keeping Britt because they felt they had enough depth at offensive tackle.

“Our decision to let (Britt and guard Wes Sims) go had much more to do with the improvement of Leander Jordan and Kris Dielman than it did with their performances,” Sand Diego head coach Marty Schottenheimer said in a press conference announcing the move.

“I was surprised the Chargers cut me,” Britt said, “but that was a decision they decided to make. I know God has an awesome plan for me and I believe everything happens for a reason.”

But Britt wasn’t about to let one roadblock get in the way of his dream. The 6-foot-8, 314 pound lineman signed with the New England Patriots to be on their practice squad. While the move didn’t allow Britt to dress with the team for any games this season, it did keep him in the league. Britt is hoping this year’s experience will help him in the long run.

“I just go out every day to get better and hope for the opportunity to earn a position,” Britt said. “But I’ve learned more in a week here than I did my whole training camp with the Chargers. I’m excited about my situation.”

Britt has the option of going overseas to play in NFL Europe this spring. But instead, he is likely to stay in the U.S. with the Patriots for spring workouts. If all goes well, Britt could make the Patriots 53-man roster in 2006.