The Atlanta Falcons have a quarterback situation that’s basically a season-long soap opera with three acts already written. Michael Penix Jr. is still working his way back from an ACL tear. Tua Tagovailoa just showed up with a reputation for winning and a body that doesn’t always cooperate. The team hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since 2017. And everyone wants to talk about who starts under center.
But here’s the thing. The Falcons have drafted two players who might matter just as much as the quarterback decision itself. Maybe more, depending on how things shake out. These aren’t the guys casual fans circled on draft weekend. They’re rookies and late-round projects who could turn into the difference between another lost season and something real.
Zachariah Branch needs a role, not a route tree
The Falcons took Branch with the 79th pick in the third round of the 2026 draft. There isn’t much mystery about what he brings. The dude is fast. Like, genuinely fast. Not “quick for his size” or “twitchy in a phone booth.” He can run past defensive backs and make them pay for breathing wrong off the line.
Atlanta’s offense already has Drake London as a true No. 1. Kyle Pitts at tight end. Bijan Robinson in the backfield. That’s a lot of talent but it’s all kind of same-shaped. Big bodies. Contested catches. Not a ton of pure speed stretching the field or creating space underneath. Branch fixes that without needing to be the guy.
He doesn’t have to run 15 different route combinations. Just give him a few screens, a jet sweep, some option routes where he can plant and go. Tagovailoa or Penix both need easy throws early to settle into a game. Branch is the kind of player who turns a 3-yard pass into a 25-yard gain because the safety took a bad angle.
And if nothing else, he can return kicks. That alone gets a rookie active on game day and builds trust faster than a dozen training camp catches.
The real question is whether the Falcons coaching staff will be creative enough to use him right. This isn’t a guy you stash on the depth chart and let develop over three years. He’s a weapon from day one if they let him be one.
Jack Nelson is the insurance policy nobody wants to need
The Falcons took Nelson at No. 218 in the 2025 draft. Late round. Wisconsin offensive lineman. The kind of pick that gets a polite nod from analysts and then buried in a depth chart the next day.
But here’s the reality. The Falcons have a quarterback recovering from ACL surgery and another one with an injury history that fills a medical file thicker than most playbooks. Neither guy can function behind a shaky offensive line. That’s not hype. That’s physics. Nelson’s job isn’t to be a star. It’s to be the guy who doesn’t let the whole thing collapse when a starter misses a month.
Nelson has the typical Wisconsin lineman profile. Size. Technique. Plays mean in the run game. He’s not going to wow anyone in pass protection drills but he’s solid enough to hold his ground against a second-string edge rusher. The Falcons run through Bijan Robinson. They need a swing tackle who can seal the edge on outside zone runs and not get bull-rushed into the quarterback’s lap on third down.
A full year in an NFL weight room makes a difference. So does actually learning the playbook instead of just holding a clipboard. Nelson’s trajectory won’t make highlight reels but it could quietly decide whether Atlanta’s offense has a pulse in December.
The NFL season always tests offensive line depth. Somebody gets banged up. Somebody else needs a rest. A prepared backup tackle keeps a season from cratering. That’s not dramatic. But it’s real.
The Falcons have been the team with talent and no results for too long. Branch gives them speed. Nelson gives them protection. Neither fixes everything but both might fix just enough.
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