Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel sparks NFL Draft mayhem as fans and media lose their minds over Cleveland Browns newly acquired talent
The 2025 NFL Draft has delivered quite a few surprises, but apparently Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel being selected in round three to the Cleveland Browns was the most shocking of all.Oregon Ducks fans (and the Cleveland Browns staff) might not see it that way since Gabriel just wrapped up a year where he led his […]
The 2025 NFL Draft has delivered quite a few surprises, but apparently Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel being selected in round three to the Cleveland Browns was the most shocking of all.
Oregon Ducks fans (and the Cleveland Browns staff) might not see it that way since Gabriel just wrapped up a year where he led his team to a 12-0 regular season record and Big Ten Championship victory, but seeing him drafted inside day two of the NFL Draft was certainly a surprise to most.
Dillon Gabriel barely had time to celebrate (which was a cool sight to see on the live broadcast) before NFL fans and media lost their collective minds. Unfortunately, just like everything else in this 2025 NFL Draft, fans and NFL media managed to make yet another draft pick about Shedeur Sanders.
Benjamin Allbright succinctly captured how many analysts and Browns fans felt saying, "Okay, I get not liking [Shedeur] Sanders, but drafting Dillon Gabriel over him is bizarre."
Selecting the all-time FBS leader in passing touchdowns and career starts coming off an undefeated season, back to back years with 30+ touchdowns, and over nine yards per pass attempt for his career at pick 94 probably shouldn't be called "bizarre", but here we are nonetheless.
The bright side (if there is one) for Gabriel is that the hate, disappointment, and shock surrounding his selection didn't seem to necessarily be all about him personally as much as it was about who the Cleveland Browns didn't select.
Obviously, Shedeur Sanders was expected by many to be a first (or second) round selection–with many thinking the Browns may select him early. But beyond Shedeur, many Browns fans were clearly and extremely disappointed that Cleveland's general manager Andrew Berry didn't at least select Ohio State Buckeyes hero in Will Howard.
Tate Moore of Barstool Sports was one of the loudest detractors of the decision to select Gabriel over both Shedeur Sanders and Will Howard (as you can see in his post and quote below).
"I apologize for under-reacting. I initially thought the Browns taking Dillon Gabriel over Will Howard was [expletive] stupid. After reflecting, taking the 5'11" Hawaiian who said 'the warmer the weather the better' over the 6'4" Ohio here (who is also CLEARLY better) is flat out…uh, dumb."
Harsh comments like the one above from Moore were splattered across social media nonstop on Friday night and well into early Saturday morning. It was tough to see for fans of Gabriel, but slightly understandable from a Browns fan perspective. Many Browns fans also happen to be Ohio State fans and would likely have loved to root for the quarterback who just won their college football team a national championship in Will Howard.
Truthfully, despite all the hate for Shedeur Sanders throughout this NFL Draft process, both he and Howard were solid college football quarterbacks who put together strong final seasons. However, that certainly doesn't make the ridiculous level of outrage over neither going to the Browns completely justifiable.
Yes, Dillon Gabriel is already 24 years old. And yes, he is on the shorter side for NFL QB prospects. With that said, Browns fans and NFL media need to recognize just how good he was last season.
Through the Big Ten Championship weekend Dillon Gabriel ranked second in total QBR among all FBS quarterbacks behind only Cam Ward (who went first overall in the NFL Draft). He also finished second in completion percentage, fifth in yards per play, sixth in EPA per play, and seventh in passer rating among all power conference QBs. Gabriel objectively put up a top five quarterback season in all of college football last year despite what all the anger from fans might have one believe.
Still, was Dillon Gabriel perhaps taken in the NFL Draft a bit too early by the Cleveland Browns? Perhaps, although Oregon Ducks fans would vehemently disagree. Either way, let's just hope Gabriel gets the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong one day because this has been one of the worst meltdowns and overreactions to a single NFL Draft pick in recent history.
We'll be back with more Oregon Ducks and NFL Draft 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 on Gabriel's special season with the Oregon Ducks you can just check out his full season highlights video below!
