May 10, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) talks to the media during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns' Dillon Gabriel Slammed by NFL Analyst in Lead up To Training Camp

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI | By Cory Pappas | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 9:15 PM ET

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is part of a jam packed quarterback room with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders , and Deshaun Watson. The former Oregon Ducks star was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but there are skeptics out there that don’t think this was the right decision by the Browns.

Vic Tafer Predicts A Disastrous 2025 Season for the Browns

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The Cleveland Browns are coming off of a 3-14 2024 season and the current betting odds do not think the Browns will bounce back in 2025. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Browns win total is at 4.5 wins, with odds of -160 on the over and +135 on the under.

Vic Tafer of The Athletic predicts that the Browns will go under the 4.5 win mark. Part of the reason is the uncertainty at quarterback. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are both free agent signings that have primarily been backups the past two seasons.

Deshaun Watson is still recovering from a torn achilles injury and even when he was healthy, struggled mightily with the Browns.

Then there are the two rookies; Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Sanders was taken two rounds after Gabriel in the 2025 NFL Draft. Tafer is not a believer in Gabriel at all.

Vic Tafer: “You Cant Draft a Short Quarterback in the Third Round”

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Vic Tafer is not buying stock in Dillon Gabriel as an NFL quarterback. He believes that Gabriel was over drafted and will be beaten out in training camp by Shedeur Sanders.

“Shedeur Sanders should get a much-needed win and beat out Dillon Gabriel for the No. 3 job,” Tafer said. “The Browns will learn you can’t draft a short quarterback in the third round just because he has a firm handshake and intangibles,”

While Tafer is entitled to his own opinion on Gabriel, it doesn’t mean that there haven’t been quarterbacks of Gabriel’s physical stature to succeed in the NFL.

Gabriel was listed at 5-11 at the 2025 NFL Combine. Here are some other quarterbacks that are listed at 6-0 or below in the past decade plus; Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Michael Vick, and Kyler Murray. This isn’t to say Gabriel will have the amount of success that these four have/had, but just being short doesn’t mean he has no chance in this league.

Tafer is definitely not the first person to have their doubts about Gabriel. Up to this point in his career, Gabriel has proved everyone wrong. Can he do it again, this time in the NFL?