Following their selection of Avieon Terrell earlier in the night to bolster the secondary, the Falcons opted to enhance their offense in the Third Round of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting wide receiver Zachariah Branch out of the University of Georgia.
Branch fell in comparison to where the consensus boards had him ranked, and the Falcons were more than happy to end his skid and to scoop him up at pick 79 to improve their wide receiver room.
Running a 4.35 40-time at the combine Branch, who was also a track star in addition to football, is someone who can absolutely take the top off of a defense and figures to be a perfect compliment to a Falcons offense that just hasn’t had that speed threat in a long time. Combined with his agility and ability to cut on a dime, he’s always going to be someone who can make a play at any moment on the field.
The lateral quickness and burst will make the new Falcon a dangerous option in the open field, though there are some size concerns at a height of 5’9 and sub-180 pound weight. Despite the smaller stature, he has never shy’d away from contact and has the bravery of making contested catches in the middle of the field.
Branch had 811 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2025 for the Georgia Bulldogs, a breakout after transferring from USC where he had half the number of scores and about as many receiving yards in the first two years of his collegiate career combined. He also has experience as a punt returner and can give the Falcons some real special teams juice.
Overall, the Falcons have come out of Day 2 with two immense value selections in Terrell and Branch, and quite frankly, it wouldn’t have been a reach for the Birds to have selected Branch at pick 48 either. Filling two big positions of need, Ian Cunningham has started his first ever draft as Falcons GM with a bang.
