Brian Branch
Brian Amani Branch (born October 22, 2001) is an American football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama.
![]() Branch at the 2023 NFL Combine | |||||||||
No. 32 – Detroit Lions | |||||||||
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Position: | Safety | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S. | October 22, 2001||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Georgia) | ||||||||
College: | Alabama (2020–2022) | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2023 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2023 | |||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Early life and high school career
Branch grew up in Fayetteville, Georgia, and attended Sandy Creek High School.[1] He was named the Georgia 5A Ironman of the Year as a senior.[2] Branch was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Alabama over offers from Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.[3]
College career
Branch played in 12 games during his freshman season at Alabama and made 27 tackles with seven passes defended and two interceptions.[4] As a sophomore he made 55 tackles with five tackles for loss, one sack, and nine passes defended.[5] Branch led the Crimson Tide with eight tackles and broke up two passes in Alabama's 27–6 win over Cincinnati in the 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic.[6] Branch entered his junior season as one of the top safety prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft.[7]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
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5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.58 s | 1.56 s | 2.64 s | 4.45 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) | 14 reps | ||
Sources:[8][9] |
Branch was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft.[10] In Branch's first career NFL game, he intercepted a pass from Patrick Mahomes and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown in a 21–20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.[11][12] Branch became the first Detroit Lion player to record an interception return for a touchdown in his NFL debut since Lem Barney did so in 1967.[13]
References
- "Sandy Creek alum Brian Branch picked in NFL Draft". The Citizen. May 10, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- Ezring, Cory McCann (June 30, 2022). "Prospect Breakdown: Brian Branch, DB, Alabama". SI.com. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- Rodak, Mike (December 18, 2019). "Alabama signs four-star Georgia safety Brian Branch". AL.com. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- Potter, Charlie (September 7, 2021). "Brian Branch seeing benefits of practicing at every DB position". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- Blackwood, Stacey (July 2, 2022). "Alabama's Brian Branch might be the most underrated DB in college football". Roll Tide Wire. USA Today. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- Casagrande, Michael (January 5, 2022). "Explaining the Brian Branch/Malachi Moore dynamic in Alabama secondary". AL.com. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- Brugler, Dane (August 18, 2022). "2023 NFL Draft safety class: Antonio Johnson, Brian Branch win with versatility". The Athletic. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- "Brian Branch Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- "2023 NFL Draft Scout Brian Branch College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- Twentyman, Tim (April 28, 2023). "Lions trade up, draft defensive back Brian Branch". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- Williams, Charean (September 7, 2023). "Lions Knot the Game 14–14". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- Maakaron, John (September 7, 2023). "Brand New Lions Defeat Chiefs, 21–20". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- Ramsey, Jared (September 7, 2023). "Detroit Lions rookie Brian Branch introduces himself to the NFL in style with pick-six". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 9, 2023.