In his first NFL Draft in charge of the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan managed to land two players that will make him extremely popular with the locals. After reuniting a pair of brothers by drafting Avieon Terrell, younger sibling of A.J. Terrell, in the second round, Ryan used his third-round pick at No. 79 overall to add Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch.
Not only are Ryan and Ian Cunningham keeping a local Bulldogs star in the state of Georgia by taking Branch, but he also gave Drake London the smaller, speedier wide receiver that many believe could be a perfect addition to a room that was lacking in depth.
FanSided NFL analyst Marcus Mosher warned Falcons fans about Branch's limited route tree, but he also noted that his speed could truly be a game-breaking weapon. Branch even managed to earn a comparison to Baltimore Ravens standout Zay Flowers.
"Georgia didn't use him very often down the field, and it's fair to be concerned about where he is as a route runner heading into the NFL," Mosher said. "But teams searching for players who can be dynamic after the catch and add speed to their offense will love Branch. He's not quite Zay Flowers, but he's not far off either.
NFL analyst believes Falcons' Zachariah Branch could be compared to Zay Flowers
A USC transfer, Branch went from being used as a vertical field-stretcher for Caleb Williams to someone who was used more as a screen target that makes noise underneath. As such, he is coming in with questions about his ability to run a full NFL route tree.
Branch's speed is the name of the game here. Both a quick accelerator and burner down field, his ability to stretch defenses and outrun man coverage will help Kevin Stefanski build a very vertical offense. Tua Tagovailoa has had success with speedy deep threats like Tyreek Hill in the past.
The contrast with London should be fun to watch, as Tua how has the choice of throwing to a 5-10 dynamo who is slipping around underneath in Branch or a towering 6-4 London who can outmuscle just about anyone. Slowing both of them at the same time could prove to be very problematic.
Branch may not shine fully in Year 1, but you can't coach speed, and that trait should be enough to give him a very long and productive career as a member of this new Atlanta core.
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