Dillon Gabriel, who is now in the mix for the starting job at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns heading into the 2025 season, garnered some seriously negative reviews from Browns fans after being taken 94th overall by general manager Andrew Berry.
It's in no meant offense to Gabriel, who is probably excited for the chance to come play in the NFL and actually get a chance to start games as soon as this season. But, it's more so offense towards Berry, who continues to really struggle to hit on quarterback talent when they're not the extremely obvious pick to make.
His only other quarterback pick during his tenure as GM came after their fifth rounder spent on Dorian Thompson-Robinson in 2023, and he's not even with the team anymore after trying and failing to establish himself as a starting option for Cleveland in 2024. Gabriel, as a result, doesn't exactly inspure confidence in Browns fans.
He then proceeded to make things even worse in his post-draft press conference, telling media everything that fans do not want to hear about this pick.
Berry offers strange explanation behind Gabriel pick
After a great draft leading up to the 94th pick, one that saw Cleveland land Quinshon Judkins, Carson Schwesinger, and Harold Fannin Jr., the team shocked fans by spending a valuable 94th pick on Gabriel.
Read more: Joe Flacco guaranteed another comeback season after Browns' Harold Fannin Jr. pick
And, Berry's comments about Gabriel's strengths didn't really help to sell his case.
Berry on Gabriel: "Very accurate, very poised, throws with anticipation, good mobility....really well rounded game. Doesn't have ideal height but that's not something we thought showed up in his game."
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) April 26, 2025
His height, which is 5-11, is going to show up in his game regardless of whether or not Berry saw it "show up" in any tape they saw. We've seen how smaller quarterbacks can struggle in the league, from Kyler Murray to even Russell Wilson at times. The difference is that they had other elite traits to make up for that size discrepancy - you can't really say the same about Gabriel.
Berry is setting this team up to tank: full stop. If we're expected to believe that a quarterback room of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Gabriel are meant to lead this team to a better output on offense than in 2024, then the Browns truly think fans are delusional.
It also just makes you wonder what had Myles Garrett so excited to sign an extension and tell reporters afterwards that he was happy with what the Browns had planned at quarterback this offseason. It now feels like Garrett was quite literally only in it for the money (understandably), and this team has no direction at quarterback in mind until 2026.