Browns Reportedly 'Surprised' NFL Insiders Didn't See Their Value on Dillon Gabriel

The Cleveland Browns are a bit shocked that their third-round selection of quarterback Dillon Gabriel caught many by surprise.

During Saturday's appearance on SportsCenter, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Browns are "really surprised" at how the media viewed their pick of Gabriel and that the team was really high on him going into the 2025 NFL Draft.

"I was told that the Browns are really surprised that the media never picked up pre-draft very much on how high they were on Gabriel with their private workouts with him, with bringing him for a top 30 visit," Fowler said. "So, he's still in a pretty good position right here."

Gabriel was rated as the No. 163 overall player and the No. 10 quarterback in the draft by Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department. The Browns clearly valued him much higher than this as the team selected him 94th overall and made him the fifth quarterback off of the board.

Gabriel played six collegiate seasons between UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. During the 2024 season with the Ducks, Gabriel threw for 3,857 yards with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. He won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award and led Oregon to a Big Ten Championship.

He now joins a crowded quarterback room in Cleveland that consists of veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson as well as fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders. Watson is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon but the other quarterbacks will all compete for the Week 1 starting role.

While it may be difficult for Gabriel to grasp that starter job, the Browns clearly selected him with the feeling that he can develop and will give him an opportunity to carve out a role with the franchise.