Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel surprisingly ranked extremely high by prominent NFL Draft expert as he remains a controversial prospect
The 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class continues to be hotly debated with only days remaining before the event officially kicks off in Green Bay, Wisconsin on April 24. Yes, Cam Ward seems to have emerged as the consensus top option, but outside of that NFL Draft experts are still split.Shedeur Sanders (of Colorado), Jaxson Dart […]
The 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class continues to be hotly debated with only days remaining before the event officially kicks off in Green Bay, Wisconsin on April 24. Yes, Cam Ward seems to have emerged as the consensus top option, but outside of that NFL Draft experts are still split.
Shedeur Sanders (of Colorado), Jaxson Dart (of Ole Miss), and Tyler Shough (of Louisville) continue to receive most of the favor with draft experts, but Dillon Gabriel shockingly finally garnered some attention this week.
Dillon Gabriel surprisingly ranked QB3 by NFL Draft expert
Mike Renner of CBS Sports (formerly of the 33rd Team and Pro Football Focus) joined Ari Meirov this past week to talk about quarterbacks and surprisingly revealed that Dillon Gabriel is QB3 for him in the 2025 NFL Draft class.
Why so high on him? And is there any chance that Gabriel could actually go as early as QB3 off the board on draft day?
"I think it's more of an indication of just how much I dislike this quarterback class. So I'm basically searching for anyone who I think can even play at the NFL level. That's what kind of [QB] class we're in. It's not searching for Top 10 guys. It's searching for a guy who, if I've got to throw him out there as a starter he can handle it. With Dillon Gabriel, I think he can…Experience and playing matters. That helps when translating to the NFL. And [Gabriel]'s played more football than anyone else in college football history. 63 career starts. That's more than even Bo Nix had. Bo Nix had the record last year. Then dating back to high school, [Gabriel] started as a freshman. He had the Hawaii passing record–over guys like Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagovailoa…He's seen it all. He has an NFL caliber arm. It's stronger than Shedeur Sanders' arm…Obviously not the caliber of Cam Ward's…But three different stops now. UCF, Oklahoma Oregon. He's played good football. He has the personality to win over a locker room very early on. I just think if he gets thrust into a starting role, a la Brock Purdy, I think he'll be able to handle it."
Renner and those love Dillon Gabriel as a prospect all agree that his experience helps him stand out. Gabriel doesn't have the perfect arm strength or physical traits, but the production has been pretty undeniable wherever he's gone. Gabriel has posted five seasons over 3100 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns, never throwing more than seven interceptions.
However, it still doesn't seem likely that Gabriel is going to be an early-round NFL Draft pick. His consensus projected draft capital has been slowly dropping since the Senior Bowl week (as you can see in the image below).
Pick 163 (consensus as of this writing) is likely a bit late for a prospect with the kind of consistent production and experience Dillon Gabriel offers. And all it takes is one team to go after "their guy".
I followed up with Mike Renner, asking him where he sees Gabriel's best fit to be selected in the NFL Draft. He said that the Miami Dolphins (at pick 98 near the end of round three) or the Carolina Panthers (at pick 111 to start round four) would make a ton of sense. Obviously, in both scenarios Gabriel would begin his career as a backup, but one who could offer seriously viable backup abilities from day one.
Based on our own internal projections here at A to Z Sports that's probably about the earliest that he could go. For much of our pre-draft process Gabriel was seen as a round four prospect, so that sweet spot to the Dolphins or Panthers could certainly be ideal if Oregon fans hope to see him stick on an NFL roster.
We'll be back with more Oregon Ducks coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to look back at some Dillon Gabriel highlights to see why some NFL Draft experts are extremely high on him despite the potentially lackluster physical traits you can check out the video below.
