If you surveyed 100 people in the greater Atlanta area, I bet all of them would say they had no idea this was Ian Cunningham's first NFL Draft as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, because he's conducting himself like a veteran during the 2026 Draft by coming away with some elite value.
After landing a steal with Avieon Terrell at pick 48, this new regime made sure to continue capitalizing on value with the 79th overall pick. With the 79th pick, the Falcons were able to fill another one of their biggest needs with the perfect player by selecting Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch.
With the 79th overall pick, Atlanta was able to draft someone they likely considered at pick 48 in Branch. You could argue that this guy is the most Falcons pick ever, as not only does he fill the need for speed at wideout, he will provide the Dirty Birds with some much-needed special teams value.
The Atlanta Falcons are absolutely crushing the 2026 NFL Draft after taking Zachariah Branch
The 22-year-old transferred to Georgia from USC and shined this past season, and you just know Matt Ryan was trying to come out of this draft with at least one Georgia guy. But instead of forcing a need or anything, all Atlanta did was let Branch fall right into their lap, which is some masterful work.
Branch is absolute lightning in a bottle and will provide some much-needed explosiveness to the Falcons' passing offense. Drake London is the top wideout, and the new regime is gambling on Jahan Dotson to have a career year at WR2, but Branch was drafted to make both of their lives much easier.
Branch is set to compete with Olamide Zaccheus for the starting slot receiver position from Day 1, so even if he loses the job, he'll likely assume that role at some point. It could be next offseason if Zaccheus leaves in free agency, or if he performs well enough, he could take that role midseason.
This man has 4.35 speed, so as a weapon on offense and special teams, this coaching staff (and the QBs) are gonna love keeping this local talent close by.
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