Falcons rookie Zachariah Branch ‘continues to show up’ in promising summer

FLOWERY BRANCH — Michael Penix Jr. wants to get him the ball “a lot” this season. Tua Tagovailoa compared him to star receiver Jaylen Waddle. Drake London said “the world’s going to see” what he brings this year. Olamide Zaccheaus called him a joystick.

There has been perhaps no bigger sensation in Falcons land this summer than rookie receiver Zachariah Branch, a third-round pick from Georgia who’s become prone to explosive plays and big gains.

But in this moment, Branch stands alone. He’s the last Falcon on the field, catching his daily 200 passes from the JUGS machine, contorting his body and trying to wash away the memory of a drop in one-on-ones from two hours earlier.

He’s unsuccessful.

“I’m still mad about that,” Branch said. “It hit my hands. Whenever it hits my hands, I’ve got to be able to come down with it. I always do my pushups every time, and I’m like, ‘Man, I’m over here doing way too many pushups. I’m getting swollen.’”

When he was a kid, Branch had a tendency to catch passes one-handed. Whenever he dropped one, his father, Shéva, made him do pushups. Nowadays, he does pushups after every drop. If it’s a two-handed drop, it’s 10. If it’s a one-handed drop, it’s 20.

For Branch, it’s about maintaining the standard — the same one that drove his strong start at USC, his quick acclimation to Georgia and his encouraging first three months in Flowery Branch.

The JUGS machine has kept him grounded through it all. He spends nearly half an hour with it each day after practice.

“You never know how many opportunities you’ll get in practice,” Branch said. “I may get a couple balls out there. You may get zero that day. I just want to make sure I’m just capitalizing on every opportunity I’m possibly going to get when it gets to live bullets flying and things like that.

“So, I just want to make sure I catch the ball. That’s what I get paid to do.”

Branch has, by and large, delivered on the Falcons’ investment this summer.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Branch has been targeted 24 times through 11 training camp practices — the second-highest mark on the team — and he’s corralled 14 receptions, which ranks fourth. He’s also been perhaps the most difficult cover for the team’s defensive backs during one-on-one drills.

Branch has served as the Falcons’ most consistent source of 20-plus-yard receptions and a fixture in their screen and end-around games.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said the team continues to give Branch more responsibility each day with hopes of finding, and solidifying, his role within the offense.

“In this case with Zachariah, it’s what routes do we feel like he can run really well, and then what personnel groupings do we want to get him in there?” Stefanski said Monday. “He’s earning that because he practices very hard, is showing up in these drills.

“When you go to team drills and it’s 11-on-11, he continues to show up.”

Branch isn’t a stranger to fast starts in new places. He was a freshman All-American at USC, and after spending his first two college seasons with the Trojans, he transferred to Georgia last season and led the Bulldogs in receiving with 81 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns.

Part of the reason, fellow Falcons rookie and former Georgia teammate Cash Jones says, is Branch’s natural physical and athletic gifts. Though undersized, he blazed a 4.35 40-yard dash and churned out 20 bench press reps at the NFL combine.

“He’s a freak athlete,” Jones said. “He can be running full speed and stop on a dot. He has great hands, super smart kid, and I’m super excited to see what happens this year for him.”

Preparation matters, too.

Branch estimates he’s already gone through four full notebooks since arriving for rookie minicamp in May. He’s always been a note-taker, he said, but after watching former Falcons starter Kirk Cousins on the Netflix documentary “Quarterback,” Branch has placed a greater priority on keeping his notebooks and looking back through them for any additional information he can glean.

“No matter how many times I hear something, I write it down every single time,” Branch said. “It may be the first play we ever installed and coach is talking about it again for a play that’s tomorrow. I’ll rewrite it like I’ve never heard it, just so it’s like I’ve seen myself write it 50 times.

“I think that definitely does help us go out there, when we’re on the field, and be prepared for those moments for sure.”

The rookies get an additional 30 minutes of meeting time each time, noninclusive to veterans. Branch leaves that meeting, and the full team walk-through, and immediately gets back to work.

In his dorm room, Branch opens his notebook and flips through all the pages from that day and the day before. Then, he looks at all the new plays being installed, and he puts himself in each position. This play, I’m in the slot. I’ve got this route. If it’s this coverage, I’m going to run it this way. If we get a different coverage, I’m going to run it this way.

By the time practice rolls around, Branch has already run every route, taken every alignment and thought through every coverage he may see that day.

“I like to put myself in the shoes,” Branch said, “so when I go out here on the field, I’ve felt my body be in that position before.”

No matter the method — be it the JUGS machine, the natural talent, the extensive preparation — there’s little arguing Branch’s results.

Drops have been an issue, as he’s posted a team-high three in offense vs. defense periods and has bobbled a few others in individual sessions. But the Falcons’ quarterbacks trust him, and that’s as important a step as any he’ll take this summer.

“That dude can be anywhere — you find him, he’s open,” Tagovailoa said. “That dude, he’s fast. He can get away from guys. Great separation, great hands and great elusiveness when the ball’s in his hands.”

Penix said Branch is “definitely special” with the ball in his hands, be it down the field or transitioning into a runner after a short catch.

“He’s going to be a really good football player in the NFL,” Penix said. “Obviously, you already know what he’s done in college in his past, but it’s definitely carrying over. He can play football.”

The Falcons had no concerns Branch’s skill set would translate. Stefanski spoke at length with Georgia coach Kirby Smart during the pre-draft process, and Smart raved about Branch’s day-to-day effort and work ethic. Other coaches in Branch’s past did the same.

During OTAs, Branch often lit up receiver coach Robert Prince’s phone. “Hey, RP, what do we have next practice?” he’d ask. “What do I have on this route?” Prince, who’s spent over two decades as an NFL assistant, said Branch “wants to be great.”

Stefanski voiced similar thoughts.

“Zachariah is wired the right way,” Stefanski said. “That’s something we knew going into the draft and certainly have figured out about him, spending so much time with him through the offseason program into training camp.

“You watch him at practice, and he goes and he goes and he goes. He’s got the right makeup for what we want him to be.”

Time will tell whether Branch turns his summer buzz into regular season production. He’s worked primarily with the second-team offense during training camp, but he’s poised to see a fair dose of snaps — and manufactured touches — this fall, no matter his depth chart position. He’s also the leader in the clubhouse to be the Falcons’ return specialist.