The Atlanta Falcons' offense was looking for speed at wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft, and boy did they find it with Zachariah Branch. Atlanta selected Branch with their third-round pick at No. 79 overall, and fans are excited about the idea of a receiver room led by Branch and Drake London.
And nobody is more amped up about adding the 21-year-old to the Falcons' offense as the perfect London complement than former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh. While appearing on the Speakeasy podcast with Emmanuel Acho, Houshmanzadeh was absolutely raving about Branch.
"When Zach Branch was in high school, they was basically calling him the high school Tyreek Hill," Houshmanzadeh said. I believe he ran a 10.2 or 10.3 100m dash in high school. Anybody that knows track, that is rolling for a football player... That dude is what you said: electrifying."
Like Housh mentioned, a 10.3 in the 100m is impressive enough. But doing that in high school? That is other-worldly. For reference, Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles ran a 9.79 in the 100 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics, so that time in your teens is something that qualifies people for the Olympics.
TJ Houshmanzadeh thinks the Falcons picked up a steal in Zachariah Branch
The 12-year veteran and Pro Bowler touched more on his career path and how a guy who was once looked at as a first-round player fell to the Dirty Birds in Round 3. And the more he touched on it, the luckier Falcons fans should feel about getting to witness this guy torch opposing defenses in Atlanta.
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Housh revealed that Branch put on weight when he got to USC, and was still fast, but lost most of that weight when he transferred to Georgia. But once he lost that weight, you saw the fireworks of a guy who led the SEC in catches and was a threat to turn short plays into big ones every time he touched the ball.
Let's put his words into perspective for the Falcons. Casey Washington briefly started at WR3 in 2025. Frankly, Olamide Zaccheus is the only guy who will threaten Branch's slot role, but I expect him to win the job in camp and join London and Jahan Dotson in the Week 1 starting lineup, where he will provide Kevin Stefanski's offense with the speed and vertical ability its lacked over the years.
And let's put it this way: Branch isn't even a track star. He utilizes his speed where it'll help him the most: on the gridiron. And with the Falcons, they'll put his track speed to good use on offense and in the return game.
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