When Dillon Gabriel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 94th overall pick in the third round, many were surprised they hadn’t taken Shedeur Sanders instead. Two rounds later, the Browns also drafted Sanders. And since then, Gabriel has continued to be overshadowed by the Colorado QB.
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In The Forest City, all the buzz seems to be around Sanders, with few headlines about how Gabriel has performed, what people think of him, or what his potential might be.
Still, reports suggested the Browns had Gabriel ahead of Sanders on the depth chart and were giving him a larger share of offensive snaps, while also testing him against tougher competition in practice. On ESPN Cleveland’s The Land on Demand podcast, longtime Browns insider Tony Grossi was asked whether that meant Gabriel was Cleveland’s true preference.
“Nah, I think that’s stretching it. I think if you look at our quarterback tracker, he had more pass attempts than anyone by about 20, Gabriel did. They exposed him to the No. 1 defense. They gave him things; his numbers weren’t as great as Shedeur’s, because they were giving him more complicated stuff,” Grossi said.
“But all of that attests to the point that they are intrigued by Dillon Gabriel. They think from the neck up, he is a number one pick. From the neck up,” added the insider.
That last distinction is an important one. But it’s strange to see Grossi somewhat overlooking Gabriel’s lack of size and height. Back in 2020, Grossi was suspended by WKNR for calling Baker Mayfield (who is 6’1″) a “f*cking midget” live on air. Well, if Baker is a “f*cking midget,” what does that make the 5’11” Gabriel in his eyes?
No doubt, Grossi’s dislike of Sanders has contributed to his ability to look past QB height in Gabriel’s case.
Grossi said “neck up” because below the neck, Gabriel just doesn’t cut the figure of an NFL quarterback. As a fellow sub-six-footer, we hate to write this, but the 5’11” Gabriel is simply too small. And 5’11” is probably generous. He’s more likely closer to 5’10”.
Photos of him standing next to the 6’6″ Joe Flacco only serve to exacerbate this notion. He’s not just short, though. He’s also below average when it comes to both wingspan and hand size. So that makes two small-handed QBs in Cleveland: Kenny Pickett’s lack of hand size was a big talking point when he came out in 2022.
"They are intrigued with Dillon Gabriel, from the neck up, they think he's a No. 1 pick," – @TonyGrossi on the Browns rookie QBs. pic.twitter.com/mhEUaiGRkq
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 21, 2025
Since 1980, only three QBs under six feet have made a Pro Bowl. Doug Flutie did it in 1998, but that was a one-off feel-good story. The other two are dual-threat runners in Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson.
Those two were able to offset their lack of size with an additional phase of play that the defense must consider: the running threat. Both Murray and Wilson were very athletic and productive runners in college. Gabriel ran an unofficial 4.94 in the 40-yard dash and had just 149 rushing yards last year.
It’s all well and good if Dillon Gabriel is a great guy who tries really hard. But if you don’t have the tools, you can’t get the job done. And it doesn’t seem like he has the physical tools he needs. What do you think?
