Browns Reportedly 'Coveted' Dillon Gabriel in NFL Draft amid Shedeur Sanders Battle

The Cleveland Browns surprisingly decided to use two mid-round picks on quarterbacks in last month's NFL draft, and it sounds like one of them was their primary target.

ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi reported that third-round pick Dillon Gabriel had long been targeted by the Browns despite their selection of Shedeur Sanders two rounds later.

"While Shedeur Sanders grabbed headlines, the Browns coveted Gabriel in the draft," Oyefusi stated.

Gabriel is coming off a six-year college career that included stints with UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. He's an experienced player with 63 college starts and 18,722 passing yards over his career, the second most in FBS history. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday that the Browns were "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."

Still, the Browns' selection of Sanders creates a natural competition between the two rookie quarterbacks. Gabriel recently told reporters "I love" that the team also added Sanders, and he looks forward to competing. Sanders also spoke glowingly about their budding relationship.

"He always has a great mood. You know, he's always in a good mood. I've only been around him two days though," Sanders joked about Gabriel. "He always has a great mood, but overall I can tell he's a good person."

Cleveland's QB room also includes veteran Joe Flacco, backup Kenny Pickett and the injured Deshaun Watson, the latter of whom could miss the entire 2025 season after re-rupturing his torn Achilles.

Despite the crowded depth chart, Gabriel and Sanders will have the opportunity throughout the summer to show why one of them could be the future face of the franchise for the Browns.

"It will be fascinating to see how this plays out," ESPN's Jordan Reid said of Cleveland's quarterback competition. "Sanders brings accuracy, poise and ball placement, which makes an ideal fit in [head coach Kevin] Stefanski's offense. Sanders finished with an FBS high 74% completion percentage, and his accuracy should translate well. The Cleveland offense -- like the one Sanders had at Colorado -- features many quick-hitting concepts."