The Cleveland Browns did a great job with their first set of selections in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Then, they shocked many in the NFL world by taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
A recent report said that several teams had fourth-round grades for Gabriel, but many analysts, scouts, and experts agreed that he was most likely a late-round pick who could’ve even gone undrafted.
Notably, that includes former NFL QB Shaun King.
Talking on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, King shared his candid assessment of the Browns’ quarterback conundrum:
“I had a seventh-round grade on Dillon Gabriel and a late-first, early second-round grade on Shedeur. I think if Shedeur had been drafted in the third round and Dillon Gabriel in the fifth, that would give the Browns an opportunity to only keep three quarterbacks, so I think they release Gabriel,” King said.
Former NFL QB @realshaunking made an appearance on #UCSS, sharing his thoughts on the draft grades he had for Dillon Gabriel & Shedeur Sanders, as well as his opinion on how #Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Kevin Stefanski have handled the QB competition so far.
▶️:… pic.twitter.com/baBUzKN4lO
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) August 12, 2025
Of course, there’s always a chance that Gabriel will silence the critics and be much better than many people anticipate him to be.
Then again, early reports suggest that Gabriel has been way over his head when he’s been healthy enough to suit up, missing wide-open receivers, etc.
Gabriel is a hard-working player who has said and done all the right things, and he’s definitely earned his opportunity in the National Football League.
That doesn’t mean that he should be ahead of Shedeur Sanders in the pecking order after what we’ve seen from both of them.
The Browns have more quarterbacks than they can play right now, but after taking Gabriel in the third round, they are forcing themselves to give him a chance.
NEXT: Shedeur Sanders Suffers A Concerning Injury
