Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. (born, July 18, 1979, in Albany, Georgia) is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. He is 5'9" and 193 pounds and was picked by New England in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft and out of the University of Louisville. Branch was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIX on February 6, 2005, after tying former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice and former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Dan Ross for the Super Bowl reception record with 11 catches for 133 yards. He was the first receiver to win the award since 1989.

In middle school, high school and college, Branch was often told he was too short at just 5'9" to be an NFL receiver, and due to this, he dropped from a sure first-round pick to the second round. Deion was selected with the final pick of the Second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, after New England used its first-round pick on tight end Daniel Graham. Branch eventually became quarterback Tom Brady's go-to receiver and helped lead the team to two straight Super Bowls sparking an offense built primarily on the passing game prior to 2005. In addition to his 11 catch, 133-yard performance in Super Bowl XXXIX, he also caught 10 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII. His 21 receptions in those 2 games is an NFL record for reception in consecutive Super Bowls and the third highest total of career Super Bowl receptions by a single player. Only Jerry Rice and Andre Reed, who each played in 4 Super Bowls, recorded more.

Branch had an impressive 2005 season, catching 78 passes and falling only two yards shy of his first 1,000 yard season. In addition, he caught five touchdown passes and became the true number one receiver on the Patriots.