Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch has been one of the most dominant rookies in the NFL this season after the team selected him with the No. 45 overall pick in the NFL Draft. But it sounds like he expected to come off the board much sooner to a different team.
This week, Brian Branch called out the Washington Commanders for claiming that they were going to select him with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round.
“The team I for sure thought that was going to get me was the Commanders at No. 16,” Branch said in an NFL Network social media discussion according to Pro Football Talk. “I felt like, you know, they told me that if I’m still available at 16, they were going to get me. But I guess you can never take their word, somebody’s word. You got to let it play out. But everything happens for a reason. So I’m glad I’m with Detroit.”
The commanders ultimately selected cornerback Emmanuel Forbes with the 16th overall pick over Branch. But given that Branch has been undeniably better than Forbes throughout this season, it’s probably safe to say that the Commanders would have preferred to have Branch instead.
