From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, Day 3 selections, or priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
No. 8 Dillon Gabriel/QB Oregon – 5115, 205 pounds (Redshirt Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Dillon Gabriel | 5115/205 | 9 1/4 | 29 5/8 | 73 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Decent arm strength
– Good aggressiveness accuracy middle of the field
– Throws with good accuracy and confidence deep
– Good accuracy outside the numbers
– Has the confidence to step up in the pocket
– Veteran feel of the pocket
– Operates quick game well
– Operates RPO’s well
– Decent rushing ability
– Throws very well on the move
– Decent creation ability
– Moves through progressions well when not pressured
– Uses good pump fakes to manipulate defense
The Bad
– Short, so he struggles to heave the ball over offensive line when faced with any pressure
– Cannot step into throws when pressured because he needs to be able to see over line
– Played in a very friendly quarterback offense
– Heavy RPO offense
– Heavy play action offense
– Hardly asked to read out true 5-step concepts
– Can panic if first read is not open and bail pocket
– Throws to open receivers, does not throw them open
– Struggles to get through progressions when pressured
– Accuracy struggles when throwing to second read quickly
– Usually sitting in a comfortable pocket
– Questions about whether he can compete when pocket gets muddy
– Can blindly throw to second read, leading to turnovers
– Can stare down first read
– Decent mobility but will not be special in the NFL
– Relies on offense to get receivers open
– Old age
– Concerns about whether ceiling has been maxed
Bio
– Started 63 games across six years. Played at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma and transferred to Oregon for his sixth year
– Finished career as the FBS all-time leader in total touchdowns with 189 and tied with Case Keenum for FBS all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 155
– Finished college career with 18,722 passing yards and 32 interceptions
– 2024: 326 completions for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Rushed 72 times for 149 yards and 7 touchdowns
– Named a Heisman Trophy Finalist
– Received Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
– Led his team to a Big 10 Championship
– 2023 at Oklahoma: 266 completions for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Rushed 93 times for 373 yards and 12 touchdowns
– Named All-Big 12 First Team and a Maxwell Award Finalist
– Three-star prospect out of Mililani High School in Hawaii
– Rated the No. 15 dual-threat quarterback nationally and the No. 7 player in Hawaii
– Named the 2018 Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year
– Originally committed to Army-West Point
– As a freshman at UCF, Gabriel was working so hard the Knights staff had to force him to take time to rest
Tape Breakdown
Dillon Gabriel has been around college football for 6 years, spending time at 3 different programs and making a name for himself in the process. While being a veteran at the college level, a lot of his game still needs refining in order to make the same impact in the NFL.
As a thrower of the football, I like his confidence and accuracy at all 3 levels. He delivers the ball with decent arm strength to get on the receiver quickly, especially throwing quick game. He has good accuracy, does not waver unless pressured, and hunts the middle of the field aggressively. Gabriel’s ability to throw towards the middle of the field is helped when stepping up in the pocket as the defense starts to collapse on him. He gives his receivers positive YAC opportunities to make good plays into great ones. To have that confidence to throw in the teeth of the defense is impressive, and it is one of Gabriel’s best traits.
In the pocket, he has a veteran feel of where pressure is and where he should roll out to, and he makes very impressive throws on the move when rolling out to his left. The other part of his game that I love is how accurate he is when throwing on his move, which speaks to the type of athlete he is and how he has worked on his craft for a while.
Gabriel is a competitor with a knack for winning. He never gives up in the face of adversity. He will fight until the end of a game, no matter what the score is. He has limitations with his mental and physical game, but no one can take away the type of competitor that Gabriel is. In the Rose Bowl, he was beaten up the entire game in a disaster but fought until the very end, a trait that every quarterback needs to have.
While Gabriel has good traits and a winning resume, the biggest concern is how his game will translate to the next level. At Oregon, the offense he was operating in was very quarterback-friendly. Most play calls consisted of RPOs, quick game, or play action with heavy protection. Gabriel was hardly asked to read out true 5-step concepts, which is what NFL quarterbacks must do to succeed. The offense limited how much thinking the quarterback had to do, which kept mistakes at a minimum and resulted in a lot of wide-open targets for him to throw to.
When faced with adversity, Gabriel showed his weaknesses. When pressured, he struggled to get through progressions and often stared down his first read. When he got to his second read, his accuracy struggled, and he would throw it blindly, which led to interceptions.
While Gabriel is a good athlete, he does not have the special athleticism to make crazy plays happen outside the pocket. Against teams that had future NFL players and were well-coached, he would get hawked down when outside the pocket. On long-developing plays, he can bail out of the pocket early for no reason besides letting the play develop, and these athletic defenders chase him down for a sack.
Because of his old age, his ceiling is a big concern. His skill could be maxed out because of how long he has started as a quarterback, and his ability to transition to an NFL offense will quickly tell the type of career he will have.
Conclusion
Dillon Gabriel has many positive traits for a quarterback, including accuracy at all three levels and on the move, decent mobility, and a knack for winning. However, the concern about whether he will translate to an NFL offense makes me worried about his ceiling. Pairing that with his size and age, I think Gabriel is set to be a good backup in the NFL but will struggle to find time as a starter. My comp for him is Taylor Heinicke.
Projection: Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 – Fourth Round (Rotational Player)
Games Watched: at Ohio State (2024-regular season), at Michigan (2024), vs Penn State (2024), vs Ohio State (2024-playoff)
