- No scarcity of expertise: Gabriel logged greater than 2,300 dropbacks in school, serving to him become a fast decision-maker and processor.
- Gabriel’s dimension is a priority: His top, weight, hand size, arm size and wingspan all place on the thirty fifth percentile or decrease amongst quarterbacks.
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Draft Position Rankings
2024 PFF Grades and Stats (Rank out of 56 Draft-Eligible QBs)
| PFF Overall Grade | 86.6 (ninth) |
| Big-Time Throw % | 3.2% (thirty eighth) |
| Turnover-Worthy Play % | 1.6% (4th) |
| Adjusted Completion % | 81.9% (2nd) |
| Pressure-to Sack % | 13.9% (14th) |
| PFF Clean Pocket Grade | 90.9 (ninth) |
| PFF Under Pressure Grade | 60.7 (twelfth) |
Background
Dillon Gabriel is a 24-year-old, 5-foot-11 and 201-pound quarterback out of Oregon. His school profession started at UCF, the place he began 12 video games as a freshman and was the staff’s full-time starter for the subsequent two years earlier than a season-ending damage value him his junior marketing campaign. Gabriel then transferred to Oklahoma, the place he was the starter for 2 years. He wrapped up his profession at Oregon, serving to lead the Ducks to a College Football Playoff look.
Strengths
Experienced distributor
Gabriel’s first school snap got here in 2019, and he has since logged greater than 2,300 dropbacks. That merely means he has seen all of it, which is clear in his glorious ball distribution. He’s nice within the RPO and quick-passing video games, exhibiting off fast decision-making. That expertise can be clear on the psychological facet. He does an ideal job of understanding defenses and studying defenders’ leverage to get the ball out on time.
Elusiveness within the pocket
Gabriel could be very powerful to deliver down within the backfield. He is slippery within the pocket and tends to make defenders miss, resulting in a top-15 pressure-to-sack fee this previous season. Not solely can he be efficient at avoiding these detrimental performs, however he’s additionally a robust passer when scrambling.
Gabriel earned a 67.4 PFF passing grade when pressured to maneuver out of the pocket in 2024, rating second within the draft class. He can rapidly flip a possible detrimental play right into a constructive downfield shot — a profitable method for somebody of his dimension.
Weaknesses
Size
Gabriel’s measurables — top, weight, wingspan, hand dimension, and many others. — are all within the thirty fifth percentile or decrease amongst quarterbacks. That’s fairly a barrier to creating right into a profitable NFL signal-caller. He’ll be at a major drawback, and a few groups could even be scared off from drafting him. The excellent news for Gabriel is that gamers like Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and Bryce Young have confirmed that there’s a path to success within the NFL regardless of being beneath 6 toes tall.
Turns down open downfield passing choices
Gabriel’s common downfield cross in 2024 traveled 7.0 yards, the seventh-lowest mark within the FBS. That’s the character of Oregon’s offense. In the season prior, Bo Nix — now with the Denver Broncos — had a median depth of goal of 6.8 yards.
The distinction between Nix and Gabriel is that Nix took benefit of downfield choices. Gabriel’s big-time-throw fee was 3.2%, whereas Nix’s was 4.0%. It’s not the most important hole, nevertheless it’s important when there have been loads of occasions Gabriel might’ve taken deep pictures. And Gabriel was profitable when he was throwing downfield, too; he merely turned down far too many alternatives, both as a result of he hit his check-down too early or didn’t see them. On passing makes an attempt of 20 yards or extra, Gabriel earned an elite 94.7 PFF passing grade in 2024 — the fifth-best determine in school soccer.
Summary
Dillon Gabriel is an intriguing prospect with in depth school expertise, courting again to 2019. He has demonstrated glorious distribution expertise in RPO and quick-passing conditions whereas exhibiting he can course of data at a excessive stage. However, his NFL potential is hampered by his dimension limitations. That dimension additionally led to Gabriel’s conservative strategy, as he often missed alternatives for giant performs in 2024. For Gabriel to have a profitable NFL profession, he’ll must be in an offense that highlights his fast decision-making.