The first day of Senior Bowl practices have wrapped up, and now former-Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, sporting a custom helmet that gives love to the three schools that he played for in college, was the talk of the town.
Apparently, his passes were beautiful all day long, dropping it into buckets and showcasing his rocket of an arm. In the process, Gabriel was recorded throwing a pass 74.9 MPH. The NFL Scouting Combine record for the fastest throw is 62 MPH, shared by Josh Allen and Joe Milton III.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel breaking records out here at @theseniorbowl
— DuckZone503 (@DuckZone503) January 28, 2025
(Via @footballforever) pic.twitter.com/mFqSh4JlEQ
Allen is well known as having an absolute cannon, arguably the strongest arm in the NFL. Gabriel's heater at the Senior Bowl blows Allen's fastball out of the water.
That big of a difference is so wide that it raises questions as to the validity of the number. I'm sure the Senior Bowl will be providing some additional information on how that ball was tracked sooner than later.
Whether or not the number is accurate, it's known by those that watch Gabriel on a regular basis that when he lets it rip, he has plenty of arm strength. It shows on his ability to thread it into tight windows, and also his ability to push the ball down the field. Gabriel's Oregon teammate and leading pass-catcher Tez Johnson had plenty to say about Gabriel's arm down in Mobile.
.@tezMania15 tells @TomPelissero what front office executives will discover about his @oregonfootball teammate @_dillongabriel_ during the draft process. pic.twitter.com/XKtQSsAfMx
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 28, 2025
Gabriel having a strong first day at the Senior Bowl is great news for his draft stock, as he looks to continue in Bo Nix's footsteps from last year as seasoned college quarterbacks that are poised to handle the pressures of the NFL. I know I'm an outlier, but I definitely believe Gabriel has a much higher ceiling than most draft pundits give him credit for.
Throughout the draft process, he'll have opportunities not only to show off his physical traits, but also his cool and calm demeanor and the maturity necessary to step in and lead a locker room of grown men.
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