Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch was arrested on a pair of misdemeanor charges just days before he is expected to be picked in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Branch, 22, was booked on Sunday, April 19, in Athens, Georgia and charged with “obstructing public sidewalks/streets — prowling” and “obstruction of a law enforcement officer,” according to Athens-Clarke County arrest records. He was released less than two hours later after posting $39 in bond payments.
The NFL prospect was accused of failing “to comply with multiple verbal commands” from an officer, who informed him that he was blocking a public sidewalk, according to an arrest report obtained by NFL Network.
Branch “continued to stand on the sidewalk without making an attempt to move,” the report stated.
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“I continued to give Zachariah Branch verbal commands to move from blocking the sidewalk and advised that if he did not, he would receive a citation for blocking the sidewalk,” the arresting officer wrote. “Zachariah Branch smirked, then stepped backwards and to the right, then remained standing upon the public sidewalk, so as to obstruct, hinder, and impede free passage upon the sidewalk as well as impede free ingress/egress to or from the adjacent places of business.”
Zachariah was in Athens to watch his brother, Zion Branch, compete in Georgia’s annual spring game. Zion, 23, is a safety for the Bulldogs football team.
The brothers both attended high school sports powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas before beginning their college careers at the University of Southern California. They transferred to Georgia before the 2025 season.
Zachariah is a projected second-round draft pick, with ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicting him to land with the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 53. The NFL Draft guru pointed to the Bulldogs receiver as a perfect fit if quick-throwing quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns.
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“Enter Branch, who might be undersized at 5-9 and 177 pounds but plays the game like Zay Flowers and is explosive enough to take a quick slant for a big gain,” Kiper, 65, wrote in his most recent mock draft, published Saturday, April 18.
Though it’s unclear what effect Zachariah’s arrest will have on his draft stock, he is still likely to be taken in the early rounds. He is coming off a season with the Bulldogs in which he set the program’s single-season receptions record with 81. He also turned heads at the NFL Draft combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in only 4.35 seconds.
The NFL Draft is scheduled to begin Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh and will run through Saturday, April 25.
