Entering his first draft as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, Ian Cunningham knew he needed to address the receiver room. Since Drake London was the WR1 and main big-bodied receiver, Atlanta needed explosiveness, which he would later find in the third round of the 2026 Draft, as the Falcons drafted the speedy Zachariah Branch with the 79th overall pick.
Despite his blazing 4.35 speed, not everyone was on board with Cunningham keeping the former Georgia standout in the Peach State. While he was an elite deep threat at USC, Branch was used in a gadget role in his lone season with the Bulldogs, mostly getting the ball on quick passes and screens.
That sort of usage is not ideal for someone who measured in at 5-foot-8 and 177 pounds at the NFL Combine despite the local ties.
But the Falcons had a vision. They drafted him with the intent to utilize his versatility, especially on special teams, where he's stepped up as the primary return man, but the more he starts to push for a starting role on offense--which he's been doing so far-- the smarter Cunningham (and this pick) look.
Zachariah Branch is starting to lap Olamide Zaccheus to become Atlanta's WR3
The 22-year-old played sparingly on offense in the first two weeks of the season, mustering just 32 snaps on offense (18 in Week 1, 14 in Week 2). And while Week 3 saw him play the lowest number of offensive snaps, it did the most to continue his campaign for more playing time going forward.
The 35-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers saw Branch get meaningful reps as the WR3 during parts of the first two drives, which is a positive sign. It means that the split with Olamide Zaccheus is becoming more even, and it may not be long before he's a full-time starter in the slot over Zaccheus.
While Branch played just 13 snaps on offense to Zaccheus' 24, game script plays into that. The Dirty Birds won by 21 and led all game compared to the first two weeks where they spent more time trailing, but here's something interesting--he made more of an impact than the box score showed.
The third-round rookie caught one pass for seven yards on just two targets, which isn't much different from Zaccheus' two-catches for nine yards statline. But there was one key difference between them: Zachariah Branch was particularly impressive as a run blocker on primetime.
Take Pro Football Focus for what you will, since I know not everyone is a fan of their rankings--but even they saw another side of Branch on TNF. Not the gadget guy. Not an elite return man, which is why despite playing just five snaps as a run blocker, he led the team with an 83.3 run blocking grade from PFF: better than players like Chris Lindstrom and Charlie Woerner. Oh, and Zaccheus too.
We know the run game was humming all night long as Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and ignited the Atlanta offense, but give No. 17 his credit, because when you go and watch the film, you could see his impact in the run game. Look at this clip Coach Dan Casey highlighted:
Not everyday that you see a 5’9 WR throw a block like Zachariah Branch does right here https://t.co/d5wfjj9dpp
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) September 25, 2026
On one play, Bijan found a hole to the right side, where he made a defender miss in the backfield and broke loose for a big gain. But the only reason that he picked up as many yards as he did was because of Branch throwing a nasty block at Packers' DB Keisean Nixon downfield.
Not too shabby for a 5-foot-9 wideout whom conventional front offices would have labeled undersized--but not Ian Cunningham. He knew Branch can wear a lot of hats for this team: seeing him excel as a run blocker in addition to what he already does with his explosiveness is a bonus.
You can't generate explosive plays in the run game without receivers who are willing to block, and as long as Zachariah Branch keeps doing this, he'll keep finding more ways to get on the field this year--and possibly take that starting spot away from Olamide Zaccheus.
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