Atlanta Falcons 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Georgia WR Zachariah Branch

Zachariah Branch is now an Atlanta Falcon after they selected him at No. 79 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. He has exceptional speed that will help earn him some playing time on offense and special teams. He also has the kind of work ethic that his new coaching staff will love and should help him to see playing time earlier than expected.

Zachariah Branch, Wide Receiver, University of Georgia

Athletic Comparison and Numbers

Steve Smith was a long-time Pro Bowl caliber wide receiver who also had some success early in his career as a punt and kick returner. By bringing in Zachariah Branch, the Falcons are looking to try and replicate a career that started 25 years ago for a division rival.

Stats and Awards

2025: 14 Games Played, 81 Catches, 811 Yards, 6 Touchdowns, 4 Carries, 7 Yards, 15 Punt Returns, 180 Yards, 10 Kick Returns, 205 Yards, Second-Team All-SEC
2024: 12 Games Played, 47 Catches, 503 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 2 Carries, 17 Yards, 13 Punt Returns, 74 Yards, 5 Kick Returns, 105 Yards, 1 Tackle
2023: 11 Games Played, 31 Catches, 320 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 9 Carries, 70 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 15 Punt Returns, 332 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 24 Kick Returns, 442 Yards, 1 Touchdown, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Pac-12, Jet Award

Highlight Reel

Scouting Report

Strengths

Zachariah Branch has track-star speed and is a gamebreaker who can score a touchdown from literally anywhere on the field. His ability to create with the ball in his hand forces defenses to account for him whenever he's running anything underneath or catching a screen. He has exceptional vision to find open lanes. Branch can take advantage of deep coverages and force teams to try and put an umbrella over the top.

He's also a fantastic return specialist on punts or kicks, and his vision comes out there. His worst case scenario is a solid enough gadget player who is a top-tier kick and punt returner in the NFL. Branch is also surprisingly strong versus the press because it's so tough to get a clean jam on him due to his size and speed. And he can do well on 50/50 balls down field because of his sheer aggression towards making a catch at the catch point.

Weaknesses

Branch was a tougher evaluation than most because parsing through his film for non-screen passes was a bit time consuming. Around 25 percent of the passes thrown his way were pure screens. Downfield, he would jump to make catches at times when he didn't have to do that. As a route runner, he needs to get better at refining his routes and working with coaches to improve that aspect of his game. He's also shorter than most prospects and doesn't have the longest arms. He will have to learn how to increase his catch radius because of that to help his quarterbacks out more.

Intangibles & Off-Field Red Flags

Zachariah Branch was a team captain for a few games when he was at Georgia. He was known as a hard worker who loves the game of football and one of the favorites of head coach Kirby Smart. He was arrested for some bogus charge while at the spring game for the Bulldogs, but it reads more like the cop was overzealous and he was literally just standing on a public sidewalk.

NFL Stylistic Comparison: Steve Smith Sr.

This is another one where the film comparison matches the athletic comparison. Early in his career, Steve Smith wasn't a complete receiver, but he developed into a fantastic one. Zachariah Branch has all the same tools including the ridiculous vision that Smith had. Atlanta will love to see how he fully develops while still providing a lot of talent on special teams early.

Standard Scheme fits

Slot, Gadget, Returner, eventual Z

Early in his career, Zachariah Branch will have his best fit as a true slot guy and gadget guy who gets a lot of screens. Think a role similar to what Taylor Gabriel ran under Kyle Shanahan. Atlanta will try and get him deep as well, and they will try and maximize him as a returner. Much like Steve Smith from the Panthers and Ravens, he should develop into a minimum of a No. 2 receiver if he can hit his potential for the long-term but early on is a limited player.

How does Zachariah Branch project to fit in with the Falcons?

The Falcons will utilize him as a returner and work him into the offense as a slot guy in 2026. However, as he continues to develop, he should end up as a perfect No. 2 to Drake London and a great third or even fourth option behind Kyle Pitts, London and Bijan Robinson. Atlanta needed more raw speed on the offense and Branch easily gives them a ton of it. The only question is whether they can fully harness it in the offense that Tommy Rees will be calling.

Why WR Zachariah Branch instead of WR Chris Brazzell or DL Darrell Jackson?

Chris Brazzell would have brought similar speed to Branch, but he doesn't have the special teams ability that Branch brings with him. The Falcons could have gone all-in on the defensive line drafting Darrell Jackson, but they chose instead to bring in the speed option at wide receiver and hope that someone falls to them on day three that can help their defensive line.

All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.

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