Zachariah Branch NFL Draft Profile: Conference Championship Scouting Report for the Georgia Wide Receiver
Zachariah Branch is a wide receiver from Georgia projected to be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Branch’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
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Zachariah Branch’s NFL Draft Potential
Zachariah Branch is a prestigious talent on the college football stage. He was a consensus five-star recruit and top-10 talent overall in the 2023 class, and made an instant impact upon signing with the USC Trojans.
As a true freshman, Branch’s dynamic ability became a top national story. He found the end zone three times on the offensive side of the ball, but also returned a kick return and punt return for a touchdown as well, winning the Jet Award for CFB’s best return man and establishing his place as an electric playmaker. USC scaled him back as a return man and utilized him more on offense in 2024, and the results were respectable, but Branch ultimately transferred to Georgia—eager to maintain a productive role while competing for CFB Playoff real estate.
In 2025, Branch embarked on his best year yet as an offensive playmaker. Across 12 regular season games, he notched 68 catches for 691 yards and four touchdowns, achieving career-highs in all categories. He never logged less than three catches in a given week, and logged 10 catches for over 100 yards against Florida—accentuating his potential as a target funnel and schemed-touch weapon.
That versatility is at the heart of Branch’s profile. At a wiry-built 5’10”, 180 pounds, with hyper-elite explosiveness, foot speed, short-area twitch, ingrained spatial intelligence, and max speeds of over 23 MPH (per Feldman’s Freaks), Branch is a weapon with the ball in his hands. He can make instant RAC transitions and make defenders miss in space, then rocket up creases with his gear-shift ability—but he’s quietly a complete WR at his size, too. He’s very unproven against press, which may limit his projection to a hybrid-slot role, but he understands how to stem off-man and zone defenders, he has great zone feel, and he flashes high-level body control and contortion ability as a catcher, with the supercharged vertical ability to high-point tough balls.
In particular, these traits were visible against Mississippi State, where Branch went for eight catches, 68 yards, and a score. The TD play was something we’ve come to expect from Branch: an explosive RAC play in which Branch used his hyper-elite explosive capacity to stretch the seam. But Branch also showcased his efficient separation ability and size-defying body control and catch-point authority. Branch will be mischaracterized as a gadget player by some, but he’s quietly grown into a complete receiving presence.
Georgia hasn’t had an explosive passing attack with Gunner Stockton at the helm, but the advanced metrics lean heavily in favor of Branch’s efficiency, in spite of his passing game’s inherent limitations. Branch has the sixth-highest PFSN WR Impact score in the entire nation at 85. Per TruMedia, he’s generating 2.68 yards of RAC over expectation, a 14.29% catch rate over expectation, 2.68 yards per route run, and 0.57 EPA per reception. Branch aces the combined film and analytical evaluation, and there’s reason to believe he’ll be an even more productive pro than he was a college player.
If Branch declares for the 2026 NFL Draft, his testing and special teams value will help him immensely, and although limited boundary utility will restrict his team and schematic fits, he can be a versatile and dynamic weapon in the right place—and one who exceeds his draft capital and NFL Draft fanfare with his eventual production.
Where Is Branch Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Branch currently holds the No. 101 overall rank among prospects, reflecting his standing among mid-round prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 101.2 as of December 6 reflects that he is typically being selected in the middle rounds.
This small gap between rank and ADP suggests he’s consistently valued among evaluators, even amid fluctuations in player evaluations at this stage of the draft cycle.
Users controlling the Atlanta Falcons have been the team that selected Branch the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 2.5% of their picks across all seven rounds.
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Where Does Zachariah Branch Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Branch is currently outside the top 100 in my December big board but remains an intriguing prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. Rankings are updated monthly as the college football season progresses and more scouting information becomes available.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
