# Dillon Gabriel
**Dillon Gabriel** is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) quarterback for the [Cleveland Browns](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-browns) of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), drafted in the third round (94th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft after a record-setting college career at UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) He ended his college career as the FBS all-time leader in total touchdowns with 189 and matched Case Keenum's all-time record of 155 passing touchdowns, while ranking second in FBS history in career passing yards (18,722) and total yards (19,931).[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) His 63 career games started are the most in FBS history by a quarterback.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Mililani, Hawaii; attended Mililani High School[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) |
| College stops | UCF (2019–2021), Oklahoma (2022–2023), Oregon (2024)[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) |
| College records | 189 total touchdowns (FBS record); 155 passing touchdowns, matching Case Keenum; second all-time in passing yards (18,722) and total yards (19,931); 63 starts, most by an FBS quarterback[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) |
| 2024 season at Oregon | Started all 14 games; 326 of 447 (72.9%) for 3,857 yards and 30 passing touchdowns; Big Ten champion and Offensive Player of the Year; Heisman finalist[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) |
| Drafted | Third round, 94th overall, 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) |
| Physical profile | 5-11, 205 pounds; arms 29 3/4 inches, hands 9 1/4 inches[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/dillon-gabriel/) |
| NFL rookie season (2025) | 10 games, 6 starts; 110 of 185 for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 80.8 passer rating[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) |
## College career
Gabriel began at UCF, where his 2020 season included 3,570 passing yards and a league-leading 32 touchdowns against four interceptions, a 156.3 passing efficiency rating, and second-team All-AAC honors.[3](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/soonersports.com/documents/2022/9/7/2022_Oklahoma_Football_Media_Guide_web.pdf?timestamp=20220907111914) He fractured his clavicle in 2021 while playing at UCF, an injury that followed him into draft evaluations because of his frame.[4](https://www.pff.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-every-quarterbacks-biggest-weakness)
At Oklahoma in 2023 he started all 12 regular-season games and completed 266 of 384 passes (69.3%) for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns with six interceptions, and he rushed 93 times for 373 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns, second most nationally among quarterbacks. He was named first-team All-Big 12.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/)
**Transfer to Oregon.** Gabriel transferred from Oklahoma to Oregon before the 2024 season and led the unbeaten, top-ranked Ducks to the Big Ten championship in the conference's first year and the No. 1 seed in the [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff).[5](https://apnews.com/article/e56803ee811d477dee5168fee2deba04) In mid-season reporting he averaged 274 passing yards per game with 28 touchdowns against six interceptions and a 73.2% completion rate, second in the nation.[5](https://apnews.com/article/e56803ee811d477dee5168fee2deba04) He finished with a career-high 72.9% completion rate, a career-high 3,857 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and seven rushing touchdowns, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, a [Heisman Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/heisman-trophy) finalist, and a third-team AP All-American.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/fb5a85150bf6850fdc5d32275fe59938) He was one of four Heisman finalists announced in December 2024, alongside Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, and Miami's Cam Ward.[5](https://apnews.com/article/e56803ee811d477dee5168fee2deba04)
## Draft evaluation
Scouting consensus centered on experience and processing against physical limitations. One evaluation described Gabriel as a smaller, highly experienced left-handed quarterback with a quick release and natural rhythm as a passer, with arm strength average by NFL standards but enough, when he steps into throws, to fit the ball into tight windows.[7](https://draftgradebook.com/prospects/dillon-gabriel-2025-scouting-report) [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus) noted his size is a concern: his height, weight, hand length, arm length, and wingspan all placed at the 35th percentile or lower among quarterbacks, and his 29⅝-inch arms ranked in the sixth percentile, even trailing [Bryce Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryce-young) in arm length and wingspan by more than half an inch.[4](https://www.pff.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-every-quarterbacks-biggest-weakness)
The age question was quantified in pre-draft analysis: among quarterbacks his age or older entering the draft, 10 of 19 went undrafted and only one, [Brandon Weeden](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandon-weeden), went in the first 60 picks.[8](https://www.fanduel.com/research/dillon-gabriel-nfl-draft-profile-college-stats-scouting-report-and-top-comps) The same analysis found Gabriel at the 82nd percentile of its quarterback prospect model, with 64 games of 10-plus pass attempts, the most among combine invitees, ahead of [Bo Nix](https://www.edgepedia.org/bo-nix).[8](https://www.fanduel.com/research/dillon-gabriel-nfl-draft-profile-college-stats-scouting-report-and-top-comps)
In the draft, Gabriel went 94th overall to [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) in the third round, ahead of quarterbacks including [Shedeur Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/shedeur-sanders), Jalen Milroe, and Will Howard; Sanders, widely projected far higher, fell to the fifth round, where the Browns took him with the 144th pick.[9](https://www.si.com/college/oregon/football/cleveland-browns-dillon-gabriel-draws-tua-tagovailoa-comparison-nfl-analyst-oregon-ducks-miami-dolphins-hawaii-left-handed-quarterbacks) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/e2b80fcf289da3a6b68ca1e45ef270ab) Few if any mock drafts had Gabriel or the other intervening quarterbacks picked before Sanders.[11](https://apnews.com/article/6cbdb0de26ab4505a57869e7606276a5)
## NFL career
Gabriel joined a Cleveland quarterback room that also included [Kenny Pickett](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-pickett), Joe Flacco, and later Sanders, after [Deshaun Watson](https://www.edgepedia.org/deshaun-watson) was lost for the season with a torn [Achilles tendon](https://www.edgepedia.org/achilles-tendon).[11](https://apnews.com/article/6cbdb0de26ab4505a57869e7606276a5) He threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL start and was nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/)
In his 2025 rookie season he appeared in 10 games with 6 starts, completing 110 of 185 passes for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, a 5.1 yards-per-attempt average and an 80.8 passer rating, and he added 14 rushes for 86 yards.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) In Week 11 he suffered a concussion midway through a loss to the [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens), which brought Shedeur Sanders into his first NFL action; Gabriel later cleared the concussion protocol, but Sanders started Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/dillon-gabriel/)
His left-handed delivery made history within his rookie season: when Cleveland met Miami, Gabriel and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa formed the NFL's first lefty-lefty starting quarterback matchup since 2006, only the 24th instance since 1950, per NFL Research.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/dillon-gabriel/)
## Personal life
Gabriel is a native of Mililani, Hawaii, and broke Tua Tagovailoa's Hawaii state high school record for career passing yards with 9,948 at Mililani High School.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) His father, Garrett, played quarterback at Hawaii.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) He was named after Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon; his older brother is named Garrison, after running back Garrison Hearst, and his younger brother Roman is named after NFL MVP quarterback Roman Gabriel.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/) He graduated from Oklahoma with a degree in multidisciplinary studies.[1](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/)
## References
1. [Dillon Gabriel player page, ClevelandBrowns.com](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/players-roster/dillon-gabriel/)
2. [Dillon Gabriel Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/dillon-gabriel/)
3. [2022 Oklahoma Football Media Guide, Player Profiles](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/soonersports.com/documents/2022/9/7/2022_Oklahoma_Football_Media_Guide_web.pdf?timestamp=20220907111914)
4. [2025 NFL Draft: Every quarterback's biggest weakness, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-every-quarterbacks-biggest-weakness)
5. [Dillon Gabriel, Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, Cam Ward are named Heisman finalists, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e56803ee811d477dee5168fee2deba04)
6. [AP All-America team, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fb5a85150bf6850fdc5d32275fe59938)
7. [Dillon Gabriel Scouting Report, DraftGradeBook](https://draftgradebook.com/prospects/dillon-gabriel-2025-scouting-report)
8. [Dillon Gabriel NFL Draft Profile, FanDuel Research](https://www.fanduel.com/research/dillon-gabriel-nfl-draft-profile-college-stats-scouting-report-and-top-comps)
9. [Cleveland Browns' Dillon Gabriel Draws Tua Tagovailoa Comparison From NFL Analyst, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/oregon/football/cleveland-browns-dillon-gabriel-draws-tua-tagovailoa-comparison-nfl-analyst-oregon-ducks-miami-dolphins-hawaii-left-handed-quarterbacks)
10. [Shedeur Sanders' dramatic fall to Day 3 of the NFL draft is still baffling, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e2b80fcf289da3a6b68ca1e45ef270ab)
11. [Shedeur Sanders falls to day 3 of NFL draft with 5 QBs picked ahead of Coach Prime's son, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/6cbdb0de26ab4505a57869e7606276a5)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks › 2010s quarterbacks › Quarterbacks entering the NFL 2016–2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license