Daniel Jeremiah: Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel Will 'Be in the NFL as a Backup Forever'

Oregon's Dillon Gabriel may not be in the first-round conversation like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders in this year's draft, but NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah still believes he should have a long NFL career. 

"With Tua Tagovailoa's success and with Bryce Young finding it in a little bit in the second half, that’s the model for what he can be,” Jeremiah told SI.com's Albert Breer regarding Gabriel. "He's probably a third-, fourth-round pick. To me, he's going to be in the NFL as a backup forever. ... I've joked that I want the New Orleans Saints to pick him so that I can tweet out the Spiderman meme for Kellen Moore."

Gabriel—who is listed at 6'0" but is probably closer to 5'10"—doesn't have the prototypical size for the position that NFL teams generally desire. He was incredibly productive in college, however, throwing for 18,722 yards, 155 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in his six college seasons for UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. He was the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year this past season and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty. 

As for where he'll end up in the draft, the B/R Scouting Department ranked him No. 145 on its latest big board, a grade that would have him in the mix around the fifth round, give or take. Jeremiah seems to believe he could sneak into the second day of the draft or be an early Day 3 selection, but in either case, his future in the NFL is likely as a backup.