Ex-Bulldog Arrested Before NFL Draft

Former Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch was arrested in Athens early Sunday, four days before the 2026 National Football League draft. (espn.com) Athens-Clarke County records cited by ESPN, Fox 5 Atlanta and DawgNation show Branch, 22, was booked at 1:26 a.m. on April 19 on two misdemeanor charges: obstruction of a law enforcement officer and obstructing public sidewalks or streets, listed as prowling. (fox5atlanta.com) DawgNation reported Branch was released at 3:44 a.m. on a $39 bond. A full police report had not been released as of April 20, and Georgia declined comment because Branch is no longer on the roster. (dawgnation.com) The timing put the arrest directly in front of the draft, which begins Thursday, April 23. ESPN and CBS reported Branch was widely projected as a Day 2 pick, meaning the second or third round. (cbsnews.com) Branch spent the 2025 season at Georgia after transferring from Southern California, usually called USC. He caught 81 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns, and USA Today’s Georgia site and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the 81 catches set a school single-season record. (ugawire.usatoday.com) Before Georgia, Branch was one of the most decorated young return specialists in college football at USC. Georgia’s official roster page lists him as a 2023 first-team All-American there before his one-year stop in Athens. (georgiadogs.com) Local coverage tied the arrest to Georgia’s broader weekend crime roundup, where Patch also highlighted fatal shootings in South Fulton and a police shooting involving a knife-wielding woman. The Branch case stood out because it involved a draft prospect whose next stop was expected to be the National Football League, not the county jail. (patch.com) The next public marker is the draft itself, starting April 23 in Green Bay. By then, teams will have to decide whether two misdemeanor charges filed on April 19 change how they grade one of this year’s best-known receiver prospects. (nfl.com)