NFL scouts and executives “really like” Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday.
“A lot of NFL scouts and execs I trust really like Gabriel,” Fowler began in a discussion on the Browns amid an article on training camp news around the league.
An AFC executive told Fowler: “He’s been a team captain since like middle school, been good everywhere he’s been. He’s a good player. It’s just that he’s tiny.”
Fowler then added: “That last part is hard to ignore when watching him, but he throws a tight spiral and with touch.”
The 5’11”, 205-pound Gabriel was the No. 94 overall pick (third round) in this year’s draft. Two rounds later, the Browns selected Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Those two signal-callers plus veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are in a battle to be QB1 in Cleveland.
On Saturday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that Gabriel is ahead of Sanders at the moment.
He’s even worked with the starters in training camp, doing so during an 11-on-11 period Saturday, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
Gabriel has endured his share of struggles in camp, though it’s important to note he’s obviously still a rookie transitioning to the pros.
It seems, as this point, that the job is Flacco’s to lose, especially with Pickett dealing with a setback due to a hamstring injury.
Jackson notably called Flacco a “strong favorite” on Sunday.
“Neither of the rookies ever had much of a realistic chance to win the starting job this August, and over the last week, Flacco has gone from presumed favorite to strong favorite.”
As for Gabriel, it’s possible he may not be ready to be the No. 2 QB at this point, per Jackson.
“But to say Gabriel has had an up-and-down camp would be to at least slightly ignore that he’s been wildly down (and wildly inaccurate) in recent days. And though camp stats and camp completions don’t tell anything close to the whole story, Gabriel has done nothing to make anyone observing believe he’s ready to be trusted as a No. 2 quarterback.”
Of course, Gabriel is only in year one, and the onus isn’t going to be on him to carry the Browns from the jump. He’ll have time to develop and fight through training camp struggles.
Ultimately, Gabriel has his believers throughout the league, per Fowler. That may not be materializing just yet in camp, but perhaps scouts’ visions will be realized in time.
