The overwhelming comment about Branch from fans since he began his journey as a pro? He already feels like a seasoned veteran based on how he carries himself. This isn't a new development, either.
Falcons area scouts saw this in Branch whilst on the road. It's what made him stick out. Everyone at Georgia knew what the 2025 season was for Branch: A business trip. He journeyed to Athens after a couple seasons at USC to grow his resume. By all accounts, Branch's included, he knew what his job was and it was to work. That was never in question.
But if you journey back even further in Branch's past, you'll see this has always been who he is: A kid who just loved the work, and the process.
"The commitment and consistency and discipline level that I approached the game with comes from how I was raised," Branch said. "My parents just showed me that whatever you end up doing, you got to be consistent and disciplined if you want to be successful in life. They showed me that, and you have to make sacrifices as well. Sometimes you got to sacrifice things, and you got to do things that you need to do in order to get what you want."
Branch has a strict regiment that he follows to take care of his body and mind. Stretching, sleep, water intake, calories, workouts, therapy, massages, supplements to fuel him, vitamins to replenish him, you name it, Branch has taken it into account through years of fine tuning.
"I feel like I've been a pro since I was in middle school," Branch [said at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis](https://www.raiders.com/news/zachariah-branch-cliff-branch-las-vegas-bishop-gorman-2026-nfl-combine) in February. "My dad has a great background of training. ... I've been doing cryotherapy, laser therapy since I was in middle school. Keeping on my protein shakes and everything since I was in middle school. When I was younger, I might've been like, 'Ahh! I don't really like it,' but I figured out what works for me and I felt like I had a good system around me and a good platform around me that set me up to be ready for this moment."