Browns Rookie QB Receives Dubious Outlook From ESPN Insider

The Cleveland Browns selected a pair of quarterbacks in the NFL Draft, nabbing both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in Rounds 3 and 5, respectively.

Obviously, Sanders is the bigger name and widely considered the better NFL talent, but Gabriel did finish third in Heisman Trophy voting after a brilliant 2024 campaign with the Oregon Ducks.

That being said, ESPN's Ben Solak does not exactly envision much future success for Gabriel.

“It’s tough for me to find a rosy future for Gabriel, who lacks the size necessary to make all the throws on an NFL field," Solak wrote. "He also doesn’t have the compensatory arm talent and movement skills that shorter quarterbacks like Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson have. I struggle to find a world where Gabriel really makes waves in that Browns QB room, even if Sanders wasn’t there."

Solak's observations are certainly accurate. Gabriel is very undersized at 5-foot-11, which could pose some problems throwing passes over the defenders at the line of scrimmage.

Still, we heard the same thing about Baker Mayfield back in 2018, and he has ultimately developed into a very successful NFL signal-caller.

Gabriel threw for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.9 percent of his passes in 2024, and keep in mind that the bulk of those numbers came against Big Ten competition. He also punched in seven rushing scores.

Of course, the 24-year-old will be competing with Sanders, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in Cleveland's quarterback room, so there certainly is no easy road ahead for Gabriel.