Dillon Gabriel Picked by Browns Before Shedeur Sanders, Stuns Fans During NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel with the No. 94 overall pick in the NFL draft on Friday.

Gabriel played 64 games over six collegiate seasons for UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon, throwing for 155 touchdowns and running for 33 more.

He finished third in the Heisman Trophy race last year, leading the Ducks to a 13-1 record, a Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, where they fell in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion Ohio State.

Gabriel was sensational, completing 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 149 yards and seven more scores.

The 5'11", 205-pound Gabriel was ranked as the No. 163 overall player on the B/R NFL Scouting Department big board and No. 10 QB.

Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry provided some insight on the choice.

Gabriel is undoubtedly a talented college and uber-productive player who could very well have a bright future in the NFL. The Browns needed a young quarterback to potentially be their signal-caller of the future, and he can get that chance. He joins a QB room with 18-year veteran Joe Flacco and fourth-year pro Kenny Pickett.

So credit to Gabriel for putting in the work and earning a Day 2 draft selection. On a side note to that, the elephant in the room was that Shedeur Sanders, once deemed a potential top-three overall draft pick and an assured Round 1 choice at worst, continued his slide.

Fans reacted to the Gabriel pick and the Browns, a QB-needy team, passing on Sanders again.

Gabriel was the fifth QB chosen in the draft, behind Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans, No. 1), Jaxson Dart (New York Giants, No. 25), Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints, No. 40) and Jalen Milroe (Seattle Seahawks, No. 92).