College football coordinator questions Dillon Gabriel over Will Howard in NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns surprised many experts when they selected Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the NFL Draft. After a long and successful college career, many expected him to get drafted, but that was higher than most people thought he would go.

In the wake of the NFL Draft, one college football defensive coordinator shared some confusion about the pick. In particular, he questioned drafting Dillon Gabriel over Will Howard, another Big Ten quarterback, given who they are as pro prospects.

“I don’t see the evaluation of Gabriel over [Will] Howard,” a Power 4 defensive coordinator said. “I’m not saying either one of them is more talented than [Shedeur] Sanders, but Will Howard’s a better pro prospect than Gabriel with the size, arm strength, the passing tree that he had to throw at Ohio State.”

Will Howard would go on to be selected in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s going to make the two division rivals going forward.

Dillon Gabriel and Will Howard both left college as successful veterans who played for multiple teams. In the case of Gabriel, He began his career at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma and later Oregon. He would play 64 college games over six seasons, completing 65.2 percent of his career passes for 18,722 yards and 155 passing touchdowns. That’s an FBS record for career passing touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 1,209 yards and another 33 touchdowns.

Will Howard, meanwhile, played for Kansas State and Ohio State. In total, he’d play 50 games over five seasons, completing 63.8 percent of passes for 9,796 yards and 83 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,147 yards and 26 touchdowns.

One thing both Gabriel and Howard have is experience. That includes experience against one another. In 2024, while at Oregon and Ohio State, the two faced off twice, including in the Rose Bowl. They’d walk away with a split and Howard winning the postseason game.

As NFL prospects, neither is a perfect player. Gabriel lacks ideal size and strength, though he’s seen as a good leader. Howard, similarly, has been seen as a good and experienced leader, but late in the season, his arm caught some scouts’ attention too.

“He played really well down the stretch,” an AFC executive said of Howard. “He’s a bigger guy (6-4 1/4, 236). He has some running ability. I thought he was going to be a little faster. But he kind of came on late. His arm’s, frankly, a little disappointing for his size. Not a lot of velocity and drive and zip on it. I thought he was more of a big play-action thrower. But then towards the end of the year, he made some plays off balance, different arm angles. I was like, F—, I didn’t think he could do that. Smart guy, really good kid.”

Both Dillon Gabriel and Will Howard are going to get their opportunities in the NFL as they enter quarterback rooms without a clear starter. There, both can prove they should’ve been selected higher and not had to wait to hear their names called.