Why Browns handed on Shedeur Sanders once more and took … Dillon Gabriel?

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

For a lot of the first two nights of the NFL Draft, the most important shock was the truth that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not chosen.

However then, late within the third spherical, the Cleveland Browns discovered a technique to high that.

After they made their choice with the ninetieth total decide on Friday evening — their fifth decide of the primary two days — they didn’t simply cross on Sanders once more. They handed on him in favor of a quarterback virtually no person thought would go within the first three rounds. Cleveland took Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a 24-year-old who stands simply 5-foot-11 and was a six-year starter at three completely different faculties.

No one, anyplace, thought he had a shot of getting drafted forward of Sanders. By this level, Sanders was already having a depressing draft expertise. However the Browns’ selection needed to make it exponentially worse.

After all, to the Browns it made good sense. Clearly, they’re determined for a quarterback of the longer term, since their present QB room consists of 40-year-old Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson, who has torn his Achilles twice. However like everybody else within the NFL, they’ve clearly re-evaluated Sanders, who not that way back was extensively thought-about one of many high two quarterbacks on this draft.

Gabriel would’ve been fortunate to crack the highest 10 on most lists, however the Browns one way or the other determined he was value making the fifth quarterback taken off the board. They appeared to like the intensive sport movie they noticed of him throughout his time at Central Florida, Oklahoma after which Oregon. And so they received an actual good take a look at him on the Senior Bowl, the place Browns assistant head coach and particular groups coordinator Bubba Ventrone coached towards his staff.

“Embellished school profession, very correct, very poised, throws with the anticipation, good mobility,” mentioned Browns GM Andrew Berry. “We simply thought he had a very well-rounded sport. The most important damaging that you simply say about him is he doesn’t have supreme peak, however that’s not one thing that we felt like confirmed up in his sport.”

His 5-11 peak could not have been a difficulty in school, however it usually takes a particular expertise to make it a non-issue within the execs. Gabriel clearly overcame it throughout his six collegiate seasons, throwing simply 32 interceptions within the 64 video games he performed. In two seasons at Oklahoma (2022-23), he threw for 55 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. And he was excellent in his one yr for the Geese, finishing 72.9% of his passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He completed third in Heisman voting.

At no level, although, did anybody appear to think about him to be on the identical stage as Sanders — a participant who not way back some draft specialists thought the Browns may take with the second total decide. In reality, not solely was Gabriel thought-about a a lot lesser prospect than the 4 different quarterbacks who had already been drafted — Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough and Jalen Milroe — however he was not often talked about within the subsequent group with Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Ohio State’s Will Howard and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord.

So what do the Browns assume they know that no person else does?

“We actually felt strongly about Dillon all through this course of,” Berry mentioned. “We felt he’s a very robust, actually good prospect. We expect he’s a superb participant.”

Additionally they weren’t scared off by his age. “The man’s been a beginning quarterback since he was 18 years previous,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned. “So we didn’t really feel like that was a significant detriment when it comes to his profile.”

Nor have been they nervous about his measurement. “It hasn’t held him again in his profession,” Stefanski mentioned. “He’s been that peak for a very long time, and he finds a technique to get it finished.”

Sanders, after all, received it finished at Colorado, put up higher numbers and stands two inches taller. However one thing about Deion Sanders’ child clearly hasn’t sat effectively with the NFL. He was extensively anticipated to be a first-round decide, however he is awaiting the fourth spherical when Day 3 of the draft begins on Saturday.

The fourth spherical, by the way in which, was essentially the most optimistic projection for the place Gabriel was going to be chosen. Given the way in which NFL evaluators view this quarterback class as a complete, it appeared extra probably that he’d find yourself being chosen even later than that.

However all it takes is one, and for Gabriel that one was the Browns, who’ve a protracted historical past of constructing actually unusual quarterback choices. Regardless of all the causes — actual or imagined — which have triggered Sanders to go on this wild free-fall, he figured to be the safer prospect. He’s undoubtedly been humbled by his draft expertise. The Browns might have let him sit for a yr, possibly two, so they might work on his flaws and assist him attain the appreciable upside everybody as soon as believed he had.

As a substitute, they’ll take their possibilities on Gabriel, whose ceiling virtually definitely figures to be decrease. Possibly they’ll be proper, however they’re working towards their very own star-crossed quarterback historical past. Sanders would’ve been thought-about a steal for them late in Spherical 3. However they reached for his or her quarterback of the longer term as a substitute of reaching for a possible star.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He spent the earlier six years protecting the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and earlier than that, 16 years protecting the Giants and the NFL for the New York Each day Information. Comply with him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.