Dillon Gabriel’s honest outlook on Browns QB competition

Though he was the first quarterback selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, Dillon Gabriel was firmly thrust into the background one day later when, on Day 3, Andrew Berry and company selected Shedeur Sanders at pick 144.

Suddenly, Gabriel went from being the next exciting thing in Cleveland to a footnote; the player selected before their future franchise quarterback in the making.

And yet, for Gabriel, the idea of Sanders joining the quarterback room wasn't a slight against him or even a question of his potential; it just gave him a chance to work with another quarterback in the pursuit of achieving his own goals, as he explained to Cleveland.com at Browns mini camp.

“It's not new to me. I've done it at every stop and I've done it at every level,” Gabriel said via “So thank goodness for that and great preparation in that, but also know that my competition is yesterday. How can I be better than I was yesterday? So that's what I'm focused on and continue to create an environment that you want to be a part of, and that's all you can do.”

While Gabriel doesn't really look like an NFL quarterback, with one Browns reporter famously noting, “I'm taller than him” during mini camp, the third-round pick is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NCAA history, with 64 starts over his career bouncing around from UCF to Oklahoma, and finally Oregon. Factor in his time starting in high school back in Hawaii, and Gabriel might have more starts on his resume than any rookie in NFL history before making their preseason debut.

Will Gabriel be relegated to the backup role behind Sanders moving forward? Or will he do the unthinkable and take the reins long-term, continuing his starting ways while Sanders, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett watch from the sidelines? While only time will tell, Gabriel isn't shying away from the challenge, which is a textbook sign of a true competitor.