Ray Didinger's Sleeper Picks: Branch & Hurst

0:00It's April 23rd. You're listening to NFL News today, AI-powered NFL coverage. Hall of Fame sports writer Ray Dittinger stays sharp even in retirement, scouting college tape and chatting of NFL contacts for his annual sleeper picks. Ahead of the 2026 draft, he's nailed it before, spotting guys like Tideon Harold Fanon from Bowling Green, who the Browns grabbed in the third round last year and led the team with 72 catches for 731 yards and six scores as a rookie. Digging deeper, his list from two years back produced Jim's 2, like Utah edd Russia Jonah Ellis, third round to Denver with five rookie sacks and Virginia Whiteout, Malik Washington, a sixth-round Miami pick who hit 46 receptions in his second pro season. Others like Kansas State's Ben Sinat and CFL, corner-quantess diggers also panned out, proving Datinger's eye for under-the-radar talent that climbs. Draftboards? This year, he's high on Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst at six foot three and a half,

1:04two hundred three pounds and especially Georgia's. Zachariah Branch, a five foot eight one seventy seven pound speedster. Branch blaze a 4.3540 at the combine, benches twenty reps despite his size and flashes Tyree Kill like explosion on film, fighting off jams and breaking games open. Branch led Georgia with 81 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns last season after transferring from USC, thrusting him. And today two draft projections. But over the weekend, he got pinched in Athens on two misdemeanor obstruction charges, out on $39 bail, which hits right before draft. Weekend might ding his stock a touch. Datinger's track record suggests these sleepers could still shine through the noise, keeping scouts and fans watching close as the board shakes out.