![\"Zachariah](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2265882165-e1774988950309.jpg\")
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Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch trying to make a play during an NFL Combine drill.<\/p>\n
The New York Jets<\/a> need a wide receiver.<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Matt Bowen<\/a> revealed the \u201cperfect team fits\u201d for some prospects in the 2026 NFL draft. One of those connections was the Jets being tied to Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Jets need to add receiving talent opposite Garrett Wilson<\/a>, so Branch makes sense as a dynamic slot target who is electric after the catch. Branch lacks the size to make contested catches at a high rate, but he can produce explosive plays on routes that allow him to run away from coverage (crossers, overs) with his 4.33 speed. Plus, new coordinator Frank Reich can also scheme touches for Branch as a motion\/movement target on screens, fly sweeps, and RPOs,\u201d Bowen wrote.<\/p>\n Branch is listed at 5-foot-9 and weighs 177 pounds. Bowen said the Jets could land Branch with the No. 44 overall pick in the second round.<\/p>\n Prognosis Is a Bit Rich for My Taste<\/p>\n Bowen said the Jets could snag this talented pass catcher with the second-round pick they acquired from the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> in the Quinnen Williams<\/a> trade.<\/p>\n That would be the No. 44 overall selection.<\/p>\n According to the consensus big board<\/a>, Branch is the No. 70 overall-ranked and the 12th WR in this class.<\/p>\n To take that type of player 26 spots ahead of consensus would be a bit rich. However, this is the pickle the Jets find themselves in.<\/p>\n The Jets have four picks inside the top-44 of this draft. That\u2019s good. However, they don\u2019t pick again after No. 44 until pick No. 103 in the fourth round.<\/p>\n The Jets can thank the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> for that 59 pick gap between picks. In March of 2024, the Jets struck a trade<\/a> with the Eagles, flipping a conditional 2026 third-round pick for pass rusher Haason Reddick<\/a>.<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Rich Cimini<\/a> called the acquisition of Reddick one of the \u201cworst trades\u201d in franchise history.<\/p>\n Due to that move, the Jets don\u2019t have a third-round pick this year.<\/p>\n So if the Jets want Branch, they might have to get creative.<\/p>\n They could overdraft him at pick No. 44 because he likely won\u2019t be there at pick No. 103. Or the green and white can attempt to trade up from the fourth round to try and get back into the third round. One other option would be trading back from pick No. 44 to take Branch at a more appropriate range.<\/p>\n A Talented Playmaker<\/p>\n Branch, 22, spent the first two years of his collegiate run at USC. This past year was spent at Georgia.<\/p>\n Across his college career, Branch has appeared<\/a> in 37 games. With those opportunities, Branch has collected 159 receptions for 1,634 receiving yards and has scored 10 total touchdowns.<\/p>\n Coming out of high school, Branch was a five-star recruit and a top-10 overall prospect in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cSlot receiver who can turn routine touches into explosive gains. Georgia prioritized quick touches at or behind the line of scrimmage to take advantage of Branch\u2019s ability to slip tackles and add yards after catch. I expect to see more choice routes and deep crossers rolled into his workload as a pro,\u201d NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein<\/a> wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cHis routes are rushed and rounded, though. He will jump unnecessarily to make catches, which subjects him to added punishment from defenders. Branch is strong for his size and very tough. He could be pigeon-holed into a \u2018manufactured touch\u2019 role, but he\u2019s capable of more. He should help move the sticks and return punts before eventually settling in as a starting slot,\u201d Zierlein added.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tPaul Esden Jr.<\/a> covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Jets\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch trying to make a play during an NFL Combine drill. The New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":845760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2051],"tags":[7,226,1917,255,2321,2097,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-845759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-jets","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-jets","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-jets","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkjets","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116326090204161354","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/845760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}