Dillon Gabriel was the kind of NCAA quarterback who stood out. Whether it was deep balls at UCF, gritty leadership at Oklahoma, or an explosive capstone season with the Oregon Ducks, the kid from Mililani, Hawaii, left his mark across the country, and many believed he was made for Sundays.
As it turns out, the NFL isn’t in the business of sentiment, and critics aren’t shy when it comes to hot takes.
After his first few weeks of Cleveland Browns camp, Dillon’s future with the team is already in question. And one particular quote from The Athletic isn’t helping his case.
‘He Does Not Look Like an NFL Quarterback’
The Athletic’s Zac Jackson offered a blunt evaluation of Gabriel this week while on Cleveland sports radio. After touching on fellow Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Jackson turned his attention to Gabriel.
“I don’t see ‘the other guy’ impressing at all,” Jackson said, referring to the former Ducks quarterback.
“I’m not trying to be personal with him. He does not look like an NFL quarterback. And 31 other draft rooms didn’t think he was a second-day pick.”
Browns’ QB Room Is Crowded and Complicated
The Football Gods did Gabriel no favors by placing him on the Browns. The franchise’s revolving QB room has become a meme, and by no surprise, they find themselves stuck in quarterback purgatory in 2025.
Deshaun Watson, the presumed starter when healthy, is expected to miss the entire 2025 season due to injury. That leaves the door open for veterans and rookies alike to seize the job.
Joe Flacco, who led the Browns on a surprising playoff run in 2023, has returned and is viewed as the frontrunner for the No. 1 spot due to his experience and familiarity with the system. Behind him is Sanders, the high-profile rookie out of Colorado, who’s been turning heads his entire career. Coaches have praised his poise and mobility, and although he’s still developing, the upside is evident.
Then there’s Gabriel. He’s the fourth man in a room with three players ahead of him, and that quote from The Athletic isn’t helping his case.
Quite frankly, it’s made a rough start to his pro career even rougher.
Rough Start
Gabriel’s pre-draft process didn’t help his draft stock. He measured under 6’0” at the Combine and posted average athletic testing numbers. Scouts questioned his arm strength and ability to read complex defenses, concerns that have reportedly shown up in early team practices as well.
So far during OTAs, Gabriel has been inconsistent. It seems he’s missed timing routes and has struggled operating under pressure.
More than anything else, he hasn’t stood out, as he did in college, against his competition, which can be brutal when the NFL waits around for precisely no one.
Timeline to Watch
Still, hope can’t be lost entirely. Gabriel was wildly productive in college, finishing with over 18,000 passing yards and 155 passing touchdowns—a number that ties him with Case Keenum for an all-time NCAA record.
As far as deadlines go, NFL teams are required to reduce their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday, August 27. That gives Gabriel a limited window to change the narrative, or at least show enough to warrant a spot on the practice squad.
Until then, he’s fighting uphill against a loaded QB room, an unforgiving league, and now, the weight of public doubt.
It’s not an ideal start to an NFL career. But whether Gabriel sticks around Cleveland for a while or ends up somewhere else, you have to believe there are better days ahead.
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