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Every NFL draft pick has his own unique story. Detroit Lions second-round pick Brian Branch is no different.
Lions fans got to see a little bit of his background as a person with Branch’s brother offering him a heartfelt message after he was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.
“On behalf of Mom, myself, Madeline, Steven, Malcolm, and you know, just your friends and family just want to say that we’re all very proud of you and we are behind you 100%,” said Branch’s brother Christian in a pre-recorded video.
The safety watched that pre-recorded video after hearing his name called on Day 2 of the NFL draft. Branch admitted that he nearly cried while watching.
“You almost made me tear up.”
Lions’ Brian Branch Receives Heartfelt Message From His Brother, Christian
In addition to offering his support, Christian’s message to his brother included a story about their father.
“You may not remember this because you were too young running around, but. you know, our Dad was a huge sports fanatic and would always talk about the stats and the difficulties of making it to the NFL,” Christian said. “But he would always follow that up with ‘those stats are for them and not for us.’
“I wish he was here to see you balling out and achieving your dreams, but unfortunately he can’t be with us. You do, however, have a huge support system and a lot of family here that are very proud of what you’ve accomplished and everything that you’ll continue to accomplish.”
Clearly, Branch has a very strong support system, but he still misses his father. That’s evident by the fact that his Twitter bio still includes, “RIP Dad.”
Branch’s father passed away in 2019. The safety admitted on Twitter that he struggled with his death.
“My Dad has never been to one of my football games,” Branch tweeted in August 2019. “It’s messing me up in the inside.”
Branch Thanks His Brother
After watching his brother’s message, Branch had his own words for his brother, which the NFL recorded.
“Thankful for everything that he did for me,” Branch said about Christian. “He was like another father, mentor to me. Just taught me the ins and out … taught me how to kind of be a man, in a way.”
Branch explained that he looked up to Christian on the football field and learned how to develop a strong work ethic from his brother.
At that point of the video, Branch got close to shedding a tear.
“I just thank him for being the best big brother in the world.”
Some NFL draft experts considered Branch a late first-round or early send-round prospect heading into the draft. But the Lions selected him at No. 45 overall (14th in the second round).
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Branch to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is a three-time first-team All-Pro. Zierlein projected Branch to make an immediate impact in the league.
“Plug-and-play defensive back with every ingredient necessary to become a high-performing starter early in his career,” Zierlein wrote. “There are areas where he can improve but no real weaknesses, which could make him one of the safest picks in the draft.”
Branch posted 172 total tackles, including 19.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 3 interceptions and 23 pass defenses in 35 career college games.
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