The Cleveland Browns turned plenty of heads when they took Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Not many people thought he’d be taken in Day 2, let alone potentially be in the mix to be their starter.
However, after watching him in his preseason debut, Aaron Goldhammer now sees the Browns’ vision.
Talking to Tony Rizzo on ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” Goldhammer had an interesting comparison and prediction for the rookie out of Oregon:
“I think that he is Colt McCoy. I think that in 10 years, Dillon Gabriel will still be in the NFL. That is not an insult, to have a decade-long career. The Browns drafted him, I think, for this purpose. I don’t think they ever thought he was going to be their starting quarterback. I think that he is a solid, competent, NFL backup,” Goldhammer said.
How would you grade Dillon Gabriel’s performance on Saturday? pic.twitter.com/08fsO3lzZV
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 18, 2025
That’s not too bad, especially for a third-round selection.
Everybody needs that type of reliable backup who can potentially step up as a fill-in starter and get a win or two.
Gabriel has always been projected to be a backup.
That suits him, and that would make him a valuable selection for this organization.
The problem with him was never whether he was good enough to make it to the NFL; it was all about whether he should’ve been given a chance to start.
Not many short quarterbacks succeed in the league, and the same goes for southpaws like him.
But if they continue to develop his game and keep him around, he can be one of those players who stay in the league for well over a decade.
Being an NFL quarterback is one of the most exclusive jobs in the entire world, so there’s definitely no shame in being the 40th-best quarterback in the league.
That’s still better than literally millions of people.
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