The Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL world when they selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, as many had projected Gabriel to fall to the third day of the draft, similar to how Shedeur Sanders did.
The fanbase is still digesting the fact that Gabriel is in Cleveland and will have a chance to prove he can be the team’s franchise quarterback, but one analyst still has major concerns about him.
During a recent episode of 3 & Out, John Middlekauff stressed that he is still worried about Gabriel’s size.
“He’s really small,” Middlekauff said. “I mean, really small. Unless your offensive line is the Eagles, you’re going to be under siege in the NFL. And when you’re small, you get crushed. And he does not have a great arm.”
Gabriel being undersized isn’t news, and it is surely a significant reason why he fell to the third round in the draft.
Leading Oregon to the playoffs and becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist was impressive, but if he did all of that while also being 6’3″, he likely would have been a first-round pick.
Gabriel has been a forgotten man in camp because Shedeur Sanders gets so much attention, but fans need to come to grips with the fact that Gabriel was drafted first and is higher up on the depth chart than Sanders.
He also didn’t get two speeding tickets since getting drafted, so while he may be small, there is a reason why he was drafted as high as he was.
It’s a valid concern that he’d be in trouble behind a Browns offensive line that gave up 66 sacks last season, but hopefully, whenever his number is called, the line will be in a position to keep him upright and give him every chance to prove he can be this team’s next franchise QB.
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