Cleveland passed on Shedeur Sanders, but still take a quarterback in the third round.
With the No. 94 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft in the third round, the Cleveland Browns selected QB Dillon Gabriel (5-11, 201 lbs) from Oregon. It’s the second of the team’s two third round picks, and remarkably, everyone, including the Browns, passed on QB Shedeur Sanders again.
From Duck to Dawg#NFLDraft on NFLN, ESPN2 & ABC pic.twitter.com/YaRT203VqS
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 26, 2025
Dillon Gabriel Scouting Reports
Here is a scouting report from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who had Gabriel as his 9th-ranked quarterback prospect on his board in this year’s draft class:
A one-year starter at Oregon, Gabriel was a productive passer in offensive coordinator Will Stein’s balanced spread scheme (51 percent pass to 49 percent run). After three seasons at UCF and two at Oklahoma, he led the Ducks to a 13-1 record and 2024 Big Ten Championship, winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting. With six years of college football and 63 starts under his belt, he set the FBS record with 189 total touchdowns (155 passing, 33 rushing, one receiving) and ranks No. 2 all-time in passing yards (18,722).
A point guard-style quarterback, Gabriel is willing to scan from the pocket and deliver accurate balls with a twitchy release, although he is often too willing to bypass tight windows and settle for the checkdown. He isn’t an electric athlete, by any means, but he is very poised and confident and plays with exceptional feel for navigating pressure to create second-chance plays. Overall, Gabriel looks small in the pocket and has some limitations as a downfield thrower, but he is a rhythm passer with the football instincts and mature intangibles to overcome his physical shortcomings. A savvy lefty with a quick release, he has similarities to Tua Tagovailoa — and has a fighting chance to earn a backup role in the NFL.
How Dillon Gabriel fits the Cleveland Browns
The Browns definitely need a franchise quarterback. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett were added this offseason to compete. A few weeks ago, people thought that Cleveland might draft Shedeur Sanders, to put him in the mix to start too. But there has to be a reason he has kept falling, to the point where even a quarterback-needy team passed on him for a guy like Gabriel, who will add to the quarterback room.
React to the Dillon Gabriel pick
What do you think, Browns fans?