While everyone has been buzzing about the Browns' 2025 fifth-round pick, Shedeur Sanders, no one would blame you if it slipped your mind that the Browns took a signal-caller two rounds earlier, when they selected Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon.
Gabriel's collegiate career was spectacular. He finished his six-year career with three years at UCF, two years at Oklahoma, and one final season at Oregon. Through his career, he totaled 18,722 yards (second most all-time), 155 TDs (tied for most all-time), and 32 interceptions, which doesn't even place among the top 250 in NCAA history.
Furthermore, Gabriel was a winner, compiling a 46-17 record in games he started. This includes a 10-win season with Oklahoma in 2023 and a 13-win season with Oregon in 2024. It's easy to see what would intrigue NFL scouts and prospective franchises, and the next question, naturally, is: why did he fall to the 3rd round?
Dillon Gabriel is the latest in a long line of collegiate signal callers who have had their success either outright dismissed or diminished by things out of their control. For Gabriel, it's his size. Standing at five-foot-eleven and weighing 204 lbs, Gabriel comes in well below the prototypical measurements for NFL quarterbacks.
NFL scouts didn't see the dazzling arm strength or rushing ability of Kyler Murray, who went #1 overall despite being five-foot-ten. They also didn't see the elite accuracy or give him the Alabama bump Bryce Young received (five-foot-ten, 205 lbs), who also went #1. Scouts dismissed Gabriel as not having the ability to cut it at the highest level.
Browns insider speaks on the selection of Dillon Gabriel before Shedeur Sanders
A very important group of people didn't share that mindset, however. The Cleveland Browns front office, namely, Kevin Stefanski, saw something in Gabriel that other teams seem to have missed.
SportingNews' Bill Bender was able to chat with Browns radio color analyst Nathan Zegura to get the skinny on what's happening at rookie minicamp. Zegura praised both Gabriel and Sanders for their performances, noting: "We know Gabriel has the most starts and TD passes in college football history. We know Shedeur is the most accurate quarterback in college football history, and they both looked it."
The behind-the-scenes look into the Browns' organizational thinking painted a clearer picture of just how highly they thought of Gabriel. Zegura noted that the energy he observed from Browns' leadership was: "If we come out of the draft with Cam Ward, great, but if we don't come out of the draft with Cam Ward, we're coming out of it with Dillon Gabriel."
This contrasts with other reports that indicated the Browns had a great deal of interest in Jaxson Dart in a potential trade-up back into the first round. It also indicates the Browns were not shedding any tears to see Tyler Shough and Jalen Milroe selected before they got on the clock at pick 94.
The most compelling nugget in favor of Dillon Gabriel is a question attributed to Stefanski, who wondered: "Where does his height show up?" after a film session. The coach was enamored with what he saw on film and had conviction that it would be a great fit for his style of offense, which prioritizes efficiency, accuracy, and decisive quarterback play.
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In Zegura's view, if Dillon Gabriel were six-foot-three, the Browns would have selected him right at #2 and moved on with him as their franchise QB of the future. They think that highly of him. Of course, the Browns didn't make a boneheaded decision and take Gabriel earlier than they needed to, and they still got their guy.
It brings to mind a Pete Carroll quote, when he was asked why the Seahawks didn't select Tariq Woolen sooner in the draft, Carroll cracked: "We didn't have to."
The Browns didn't draft Dillon Gabriel sooner because they didn't have to. While the outside world continues to focus on Shedeur Sanders, whose minicamp performance was praised just as glowingly, don't sleep on Dillon Gabriel. He appears to have the support of some of the most important decision-makers in the organization, and it should surprise no one if he is under center at some point in 2025.