The Falcons passing game isn't one to get excited about. Neither potential quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix) inspires confidence in an above-average passing game, plus new head coach Kevin Stefanski will probably favor the run. Still, worth noting the positive press for third-round wideout Zachariah Branch.
Drake London is the franchise guy and Kyle Pitts will be one of the busier pass-catching tight ends. Bijan Robinson will be catching a pass or two. Given all that, maybe there won't be a significant No. 2 wideout.
But if there is, it's certainly possible it will be Branch. The veteran options for the top 3 include Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus. Dotson was a former first-round pick of Washington, and had a decent start to his career -- 7 TDs as a rookie on just 35 catches. But no step up in Year 2 and he was shipped off to Philadelphia, where his only noteworthy games came in Week 18 contests where starters were resting. He's only 26 years old and Atlanta gave him a contract averaging $7.5 million, but hard to say he's a sure thing.
Zaccheaus has also played for both Philadelphia and Washington in his career, though he started out with the Falcons. A low-impact slot guy, he's never caught more than 45 passes or averaged 35 yards per game. He's caught 15 touchdowns in seven seasons; a career-high of 3 TDs. I do not think it will take much to push either veteran into a secondary role.
Branch is also a short-range target; his 81 receptions for Georgia last year went for 810 yards, so exactly 10 yards per catch. Josh Kendall of The Athletic mentioned him recently, and there was a favorable story earlier in the offseason. Nothing too dramatic (some of it is an acknowledgment of opportunity) but enough to get him on the radar as a late-round selection in early drafts.
How often do third-rounders put up notable numbers as rookies? The odds aren't great, but there are some recent success stories.
Looking at the last 10 years, there have been 45 wideouts selected in the third round of drafts. Only five of those players ranked in the top 50 at the position in PPR leagues as rookies; only Cooper Kupp finished in the top 25 (just).
| 3RD-ROUND WIDE RECEIVERS, ROOKIE NUMBERS (2016-2025) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | G | GS | Rec | Yds | TD | Rk |
| 2017 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 15 | 6 | 62 | 869 | 5 | 25 |
| 2019 | Terry McLaurin, Was. | 14 | 14 | 58 | 919 | 7 | 30 |
| 2023 | Tank Dell, Hou. | 11 | 8 | 47 | 709 | 7 | 39 |
| 2019 | Diontae Johnson, Pitt. | 16 | 12 | 59 | 680 | 6 | 39 |
| 2023 | Josh Downs, Ind. | 17 | 9 | 68 | 771 | 2 | 44 |
| 2024 | Jalen McMillan, T.B. | 13 | 12 | 37 | 461 | 8 | 55 |
| 2023 | Michael Wilson, Ari. | 13 | 12 | 38 | 565 | 3 | 60 |
| 2017 | Kenny Golladay, Det. | 11 | 5 | 28 | 477 | 3 | 70 |
| 2017 | Chris Godwin, T.B. | 16 | 2 | 34 | 525 | 1 | 72 |
| 2018 | TreQuan Smith, N.O. | 15 | 7 | 28 | 427 | 5 | 73 |
| 2021 | Joshua Palmer, LAC | 17 | 5 | 33 | 353 | 4 | 76 |
| 2018 | Michael Gallup, Dall. | 16 | 8 | 33 | 507 | 2 | 78 |
| 2025 | Isaac TeSlaa, Det. | 17 | 3 | 16 | 239 | 6 | 82 |
| 2025 | Pat Bryant, Den. | 15 | 7 | 31 | 378 | 1 | 85 |
| 2021 | Nico Collins, Hou. | 14 | 8 | 33 | 446 | 1 | 87 |
| 2023 | Tre Tucker, L.V. | 16 | 1 | 19 | 331 | 2 | 89 |
| 2025 | Jaylin Noel, Hou. | 17 | 3 | 26 | 292 | 2 | 92 |
| 2023 | Jalin Hyatt, NYG | 17 | 7 | 23 | 373 | 0 | 101 |
| 2019 | Miles Boykin, Balt. | 16 | 11 | 13 | 198 | 3 | 107 |
| 2017 | Taywan Taylor, Ten. | 16 | 4 | 16 | 231 | 1 | 110 |
| 2025 | Kyle Williams, N.E. | 17 | 0 | 10 | 209 | 3 | 113 |
| 2020 | Lynn Bowden, Mia. | 10 | 4 | 28 | 211 | 0 | 115 |
| 2020 | Devin Duvernay, Balt. | 16 | 3 | 20 | 201 | 1 | 117 |
| 2023 | Cedric Tillman, Cle. | 14 | 3 | 21 | 224 | 0 | 118 |
| 2022 | David Bell, Cle. | 16 | 3 | 24 | 214 | 0 | 121 |
| 2024 | Luke McCaffrey, Was. | 17 | 4 | 18 | 168 | 0 | 126 |
| 2022 | Velus Jones, Chi. | 12 | 2 | 7 | 107 | 2 | 126 |
| 2016 | Braxton Miller, Hou. | 10 | 6 | 15 | 99 | 1 | 133 |
| 2020 | Bryan Edwards, L.V. | 12 | 3 | 11 | 193 | 1 | 134 |
| 2021 | Anthony Schwartz, Cle. | 14 | 2 | 10 | 135 | 1 | 138 |
| 2025 | Savion Williams, G.B. | 12 | 0 | 10 | 78 | 1 | 143 |
| 2021 | Dyami Brown, Was. | 15 | 6 | 12 | 165 | 0 | 147 |
| 2017 | ArDarius Stewart, NYJ | 15 | 2 | 6 | 82 | 0 | 148 |
| 2017 | Amara Darboh, Sea. | 16 | 0 | 8 | 71 | 0 | 154 |
| 2024 | Jermaine Burton, Cin. | 14 | 1 | 4 | 107 | 0 | 157 |
| 2016 | Leonte Carroo, Mia. | 14 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 164 |
| 2017 | Chad Williams, Ari. | 6 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 169 |
| 2024 | Malachi Corley, NYJ | 9 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 177 |
| 2021 | Amari Rodgers, G.B. | 16 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 0 | 182 |
| 2025 | Tai Felton, Min. | 17 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 195 |
| 2022 | Jalen Tolbert, Dall. | 8 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 203 |
| 2022 | Danny Gray, S.F. | 13 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 206 |
| 2024 | Roman Wilson, Pitt. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 999 |
| 2019 | Jalen Hurd, S.F. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 999 |
| 2017 | Carlos Henderson, Den. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 999 |
I included the games and starts for each player since it highlights that most of these players were brought along slowly and/or had guys in front of them. Two-thirds of these players (30 of 45) started 5 or fewer games; tough to make an impact like that. (Even Kupp only started 6, behind Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins.)
Six of the nine who did start at least half of their rookie seasons at least ranked in the top 60 at the position. Not something to rush for the podium for, but some value in typical leagues. Dynasty-wise, there have been some pretty nice third-rounders in the last decade, not just Kupp but also Terry McLaurin, Nico Collins and Chris Godwin.
So we'll see, but Branch is a name to monitor next month.
--Andy Richardson
