Falcons selected Georgia WR Zachariah Branch with the No. 79 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

25 April 2026

Branch was the top receiver recruit in the 2023 class. He played a backup role at USC as a freshman and amassed just 320 receiving yards, but his knack for turning designed touches into touchdowns was readily apparent. Branch scored a punt return touchdown, a kick return touchdown, and a rushing touchdown. He also led the country in yards per kick return (20.8). Branch improved his receiving total to 503 yards in his second season, but he was still parked behind Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane on the depth chart. After two years of backup duties, Branch transferred to Georgia for his third and final season. He led the SEC with 81 receptions, which he turned into 811 yards and six scores. While it was an impressive level up for the young wideout, Kirby Smart still chose to use Branch as a gadget receiver. He ranked second in the country in receptions on screens (44) and 135th in non-screen catches (37). Branch looked the part of a designed-touch specialist at the NFL Combine when he weighed in at 177 pounds, with a height three-eighths of an inch under 5’9. With both his size and usage in college screaming “gadget receiver,” it will be hard for Branch to shake that moniker early in his career. The good news is that the Falcons’ depth chart is wide open after Drake London. With only Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus standing in his way, Branch could work his way into a fantasy-relevant role this year.