Zachariah Branch and Drake London knew each other long before they were ever became teammates with the Atlanta Falcons. They both spent time at USC, so while their time with the Trojans never directly overlapped, they crossed paths enough where they were able to become close friends.
The Falcons badly needed to add electricity to the receiver room, so naturally they added the perfect complement to their current WR1. And it just so happens they used their third-round pick on the one player who hasn't needed to immediately build a rapport with London since they already have one.
Branch sat down with Fox 5 Atlanta's Lexi Bowden, where he revealed the extent of his relationship with London, and how that's set to help the Atlanta offense moving forward. And he even went on to reveal that the Falcons' two top receivers are lockermates with one another, which is pretty cool.
"We definitely knew each other before (USC)," Branch said. "Before I got to USC, I knew who Drake was. I was always coming up there on visits, so I actually met him before I ever got to USC... It's a pretty full circle moment. I'm actually his locker buddy now too, right next to him...God works in mysterious ways I'm excited."
Zachariah Branch and Drake London are the future of the Falcons' receiver room
Frankly, it's cool knowing this duo has a pre-existing relationship, and I expect that to translate onto the field. The 21-year-old noted that they once talked about how cool it would be to play together, so he expects his explosiveness and versatility will complement London's skillset with the Dirty Birds.
Because of London and Branch, the future of Atlanta's receiver room is looking brighter than it has in quite some time. Between this USC duo and Jahan Dotson, Kevin Stefanski and this offensive staff will have a lot of weapons at their disposal, which should help their unnamed starting quarterback.
The Falcons' biggest issue in 2025 was their lack of receiver depth. Behind London, they had Darnell Mooney, Casey Washington, and David Sills V playing key roles. Now, they'll have Branch, Dotson, and Olamide Zaccheus, faster players who fit what this offense covets behind their big-bodied WR1.
In recent years, USC has become a factory of sorts for future NFL receivers. London,, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jordan Addison, Michael Pittman Jr., and now Lemon, Branch, and Ja'Kobi Lane are going to add to the lineage, and the Georgia product confirmed he has a new mentor in his new locker-mate.
The future of the Falcons' receiver room lies in the hands of two wideouts who are incredibly different. They have different play styles and will offer the offense different things, but because of their shared experiences, their growing rapport could help ignite this offense in 2026 and beyond.
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