The Cleveland Browns selected Dillon Gabriel in the 2025 NFL Draft, banking on the hope that his production can transcend the same doubts Wilson once faced.
At 5-foot-11, Gabriel shares more than just a similar frame with the former Super Bowl champion. He also brings a remarkably similar resume and much like Russell Wilson, he’s entering the league with something to prove.
NFL observers see similarities
NFL analyst Jake Burns recently broke down Gabriel’s game on The Dawgs podcast, offering a nuanced comparison to Wilson. While impressed by Gabriel’s anticipation and touch, Burns emphasized the challenge of translating college success into NFL performance.
“Dillon, as far as college goes whether it was at UCF, Oklahoma, Oregon – he will throw the football over the middle of the field,” Burns explained. “The things that you would think for a guy who’s pushing six feet, 5’11” and change. He is a pretty good athlete, he can run. Smart in terms of figuring out when to run. The anticipation is good, the ball placement is what I like the most.”
But Burns also issued a key warning about the leap to Sundays.
“In college, you can live in the middle of the field in a more easier sense because the athletes aren’t quite as good. Now, they’re big but the NFL athletes are bigger, they’re faster, and those hashmarks get tighter,” he noted.
This is the exact same dilemma Wilson faced, and eventually overcame. For every Russell Wilson or Drew Brees, there are dozens of undersized passers who never made it.
“You go broke looking for those guys. For every guy that you draft that’s three inches and four inches below the accepted minimum, 99 of 100 are going to fail. [Wilson] is a real exception,” former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt once said.
Gabriel’s numbers and mindset tell a compelling story
What’s impossible to overlook is Gabriel’s sheer productivity. Over the course of his college career at UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon, he racked up more than 18,000 passing yards and 155 touchdowns.
He thrived in a variety of offensive systems, learned to adapt quickly, and showed he can command different locker rooms. His football IQ and preparation habits are often praised by coaches and teammates alike.
When asked about comparisons to other shorter quarterbacks in the NFL, Gabriel didn’t shy away from the topic. In fact, he leaned into it with confidence.
“But I think you continue to watch guys of smaller stature execute at a high level and play really well,” Gabriel told reporters. “Brock Purdy, Tua [Tagovailoa], Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray – and that’s just a couple of them.
“But you watch those guys and see how they maneuver and how well they’ve played in the NFL.”
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