The Atlanta Falcons may bring this rookie along slowly.
The Atlanta Falcons are officially in game week with the first showdown of the Kevin Stefanski era coming against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road here in six days.
For Atlanta, the goal is very clear this season: they want to be playing in the postseason. General manager Ian Cunningham has said as much, and while it remains to be seen if that is realistic or not, the expectation both in and around the building is high.
It's going to be a process building this team into a regular year in and year out contender, but fans hope to at the very least see a major step forward this season. For that to happen, both new and old faces are going to have to contribute at a high level. One name who has been on the receiving end of a ton of hype this summer has been third round rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch out of Georgia.
Fans, many of whom are also Bulldogs fans, have already fell in love with the speed and shiftiness of Branch and have put some huge expectations on him as a rookie. While he could have a strong year, it would be wise to pull back a bit on those hopes.
Falcons May Bring Branch Along Slowly
At Georgia, Branch was used largely as a gadget type piece rather than someone with a refined route tree would was making all kinds of different plays. It's not to say he is not capable of developing into more than that, but it's going to take more than one summer for that to happen.
Branch is absolutely going to be a factor on this offense, but expecting a third round pick to come in and instantly serve as WR2 and a serious weapon who defenses have to game plan for is just not all that fair for a rookie.
Eventually, Branch can develop into a great playmaker on this offense, but fans should have some patience at the beginning of his career if it does not happen right away. This is a player who has a lot of work to do if he's going to become what fans hope he can be.
After a relatively quiet preseason, Branch could be ready to break out, but more than likely, he is going to need some time to become the player fans hope he can be eventually in his career.
