Zachariah Branch

● Outstanding suddenness and speed — and can turn it on quickly ● Quick feet to dart around obstructions ● Twitchy catch-and-go athlete (averaged 7.8 YAC per reception) ● Did a nice job making sure to secure grabs before taking off (drop rate fell from 6.0 percent in 2024 to 2.4 percent in ‘25) ● Fires off the ball to quickly beat jams ● Adequate bulk on smaller frame and has juice to break arm tackles ● Averaged 12.9 yards per punt return, with one career touchdown (also averaged 19.3 yards per kick return) ● Served as a game captain for Georgia three times in 2025 and has been training like a pro since middle school

● Smaller target with specific quick-game role on 2025 tape ● Has some stiffness in his hips, which hinders his quick redirect moves ● Undisciplined tempo and footwork at the top of routes ● Relies too much on leaping or trapping the ball against his body to finish grabs ● Didn’t see many contested windows and downfield tracking is unproven ● Low touchdown and big-play rates for a perceived “home-run hitter” (just 13.6 percent of his 2025 catches resulted in a play of 20-plus yards) ● Makes some questionable decisions on special teams; three career muffed punts ● Missed two games as a freshman because of injury (Sept. 2023)

A one-year starter at Georgia (and three-year starter overall), Branch was primarily a slot receiver (77.9 percent of career snaps aligned there) in offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s scheme. After catching passes at USC from Caleb Williams in 2023 and Miller Moss in 2024, he transferred to Athens, where he was handcuffed as a quick-game target (82.7 percent of his catches came within nine yards of the line of scrimmage). Last season, he led the SEC in receptions, and he led the FBS with an 87.1 percent catch rate when targeted. With his speed gifts, Branch has the talent for a role beyond what Georgia asked of him — but how much more? He ran a screen on 25.4 percent of his routes (No. 1 in the FBS; one of just three FBS receivers above 18 percent), and his average depth of target over his career was a paltry 5.2 yards. The manufactured touches allowed him to show his catch-and-burst ability (78 percent of his career receiving yards came after the catch), but he is a smaller target and most of the branches on his route tree lack polish. Overall, Branch has dynamic speed and the linear twitch to threaten the defense before and after the catch, but there is a lot of good-faith projection required to envision him as more than a gadget player. He projects as a versatile slot receiver with return value (in the Rondale Moore mold).