NFL Draft

Brian Branch Already a Massive Steal for Lions

The second-round pick is looking like a superstar in Detroit's defense.

Luke Easterling

Brian Branch Already a Massive Steal for Lions
Brian Branch Already a Massive Steal for Lions /
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Every year, a handful of NFL Draft prospects remind us not to get too hung up on testing numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine.

One of this year's examples is do-it-all defensive weapon Brian Branch, who failed to put up big numbers at the predraft workouts in Indianapolis, but is making the rest of the NFL pay for letting him slide halfway through the second round.

Their loss as been the Detroit Lions' gain, as Branch is already proving to be a valuable asset to their defense in many different ways, just as he was for Nick Saban's unit at Alabama.

His latest performance in a Week 3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons was particularly impressive:

Branch announced his NFL arrival in authority in Week 1, picking off Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and taking it back for a touchdown in front of a national audience on opening night.

The No. 27 overall player on Athlon Sports' top 300 prospects for this year's draft, Branch is already proving he should have been a first-round pick.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com

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