Zachariah Branch – Two Game Evaluation (Ole Miss Playoff & Florida)
I watched Branch against Ole Miss in the playoff and Florida and came away thinking he is an excellent gadget weapon with real open-field juice, but a limited route runner right now. If you design touches for him, he can change a game. If you ask him to consistently win in tight man coverage on traditional routes, it’s more uneven.
As a gadget player, he’s very good. His elusiveness after the catch is elite. In open space, he’s going to make the first defender miss most of the time. He’s extremely hard to square up. The acceleration and deceleration are what stand out — he can gear down and re-accelerate instantly. His lateral quickness and jukes are dangerous in the short game. His top speed looks solid, probably low 4.4s, but it’s really the change of pace and agility that separate him. The downside is contact balance. He does not run through tackles. He’s not a Deebo-type who breaks arm tackles and drags defenders. He has to win with make-you-miss ability.
As a receiver, he’s more of a body catcher, which isn’t necessarily a problem because he only had two drops. I’d prefer more consistent hands-catching, but the production in terms of drops isn’t alarming. One issue is that he jumps to catch a lot of intermediate throws, which takes him off his feet and limits his ability to transition immediately into YAC. His ball tracking is good. On slot fades and vertical routes he tracks well and flashes late hands. He had two impressive downfield catches in the games I watched. Against Ole Miss, he scored on a slot fade where he used subtle late hands and a slight push-off to finish a tough catch. Against Florida, he had another strong catch through contact. The ball skills are better than the route polish.
The route running, though, is below average right now. He rounds off breaks, shows false steps both off the line and at the top of routes, and doesn’t consistently use head fakes, rocker steps, or leverage manipulation to move defensive backs. At times he sinks his hips well and can create separation on in- and out-breakers, but it’s inconsistent. He’s small at 5'11” and 180 pounds, and downfield contact can reroute him. There were a couple reps where he used subtle contact at the top of the route to create space, including that Ole Miss touchdown, but overall he is not consistently separating through nuance. He also has a tendency to look where he’s breaking, which will be more dangerous in the NFL when safeties trigger faster.
The usage tells part of the story. Fifty-one of his 92 targets were behind the line of scrimmage, and 71 were within 10 yards. That aligns with the tape. He’s most dangerous in manufactured touches and quick-game situations where he can operate in space. If a defense plays tight coverage and forces him to win as a traditional route runner, it may not look as dynamic. He can create separation at times by dropping his hips sharply, but he’s not winning with advanced nuance.
Overall, I like him as a weapon, and I’d be fine taking him at 71. I just wouldn’t call it great value. Ideally, you’re getting a receiver at that spot who can win with more complete route running while still offering upside. Branch gives you immediate gadget value and open-field explosiveness, but the refinement as a full-route-tree receiver still needs work.
Here is the first third or so of the video I watched...
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