Cleveland draft prospect arrested late on Saturday night

Late on Saturday night, potential Cleveland Browns draft pick wide receiver Zachariah Branch was arrested in Athens, Georgia.

Branch was arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of obstructing public sidewalks and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. According to reports, he was released at 3:44 AM on a small bond.

Branch is projected to be a Day 2 pick in next week's NFL Draft, and depending on how the Browns' board falls on Thursday, he would be a prime candidate to be selected by Cleveland. Branch's superpower is his speed. He clocked a blazing 4.35 forty-yard dash prior to the draft, and it isn't just track speed; it is speed that translates to the field.

At Georgia, Branch was one of the best receivers for the Bulldogs. He had 81 catches for 811 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Dogs last year.

One of the major weaknesses of Branch's game is his size. He stands at just 5'8" and weighs in at 180 pounds. Because of that, a lot of his receptions at Georgia were at or behind the line of scrimmage. He is hardly a downfield threat because of his lack of size.

However, speed is speed, and he has a lot of it.

The charges that Branch landed were not altogether serious, but the fact that he was arrested just a couple of days before the draft is a major black eye on his future. It is not something that is going to prohibit him from being drafted at all, but it may impact where he is drafted.

Cleveland is absolutely in on the wide receiver market as a whole. There are a few places that they could look at taking a player at the position, and with the way their roster is right now, nothing is going to prohibit them from taking more than one.

It is likely that Cleveland will be selecting a receiver with either pick six or pick 24, and Branch was never going to be in the conversation at either of those two selections. However, at picks 39 or 70, he could be a player that they target. According to Pro Football Focus, he is projected as the 75th-ranked player in the draft. That will likely drop after the arrest, so Branch may become a player that drops and could be selected much later on day two of the draft.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Cleveland draft prospect arrested late on Saturday night