Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide has done nothing to stop analysts from harping on about his supposed strengths as a quarterback. The Cleveland Browns are heading into the season with a wide-open quarterback battle, featuring a mix of seasoned veterans and promising rookies. With Deshaun Watson likely to miss the entire 2025 campaign due to an Achilles injury, the starting job in Cleveland is up for grabs.
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This offseason, the Browns re-signed veteran Joe Flacco and traded for Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles. They also added two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft—Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.
The two rookies bring different traits to the table, starting with their physical profiles. Sanders stands at a solid 6’2″ and 212 pounds, while Gabriel is slightly smaller at 5’11” and 205 pounds.
Speaking on The Herd, host Colin Cowherd compared the two rookie QBs and asserted that Sanders is the better QB. Sanders, being a noticeably bigger and taller quarterback, is one of the reasons that Cowherd seems more confident in him than in Gabriel. He also pointed to other taller quarterbacks being successful in the NFL.
“Shedeur is 6’2”, historically accurate, and I have seen him standing around normal-sized people; he’s big,” said Cowherd. “He’s a big 6’2”. Mahomes is 6’1.5”. Aaron Rodgers, you never think of his size. He’s 6’1”, big calves, big wrists.”
On the contrary, Cowherd spoke with some concerns regarding Gabriel’s frame. He compared him to being a smaller version of Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who had size concerns coming out of college.
“Dillon Gabriel is noticeably smaller and thinner than Bo Nix,” Cowherd said. “Bo Nix is not the ideal size in the NFL. He is a very, very small guy. Shedeur Sanders, he’s much bigger and better.”
Historically, it is tougher for smaller quarterbacks to succeed, but it has happened many times. Not many quarterbacks 6’0” or under have been successful, but a few have shown it’s possible.
Notably, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, a six-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, is widely expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He stood just 6’0″. Russell Wilson, listed at 5’11”, is a four-time Pro Bowler with a Super Bowl win and also appears destined for Canton.
Fran Tarkenton, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, stood 6’0″ as well. A league MVP and three-time Super Bowl participant, Tarkenton is already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Other successful quarterbacks under or at 6’0″ include Michael Vick, Sonny Jurgensen, Len Dawson, Joe Theismann, and Doug Flutie.
In Cleveland’s current quarterback race, size shouldn’t be the deciding factor. Whether it’s Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel, the job should go to the one who shows the most skill, not the most inches.
