BEREA, Ohio — With their final pick of Saturday night, the Cleveland Browns added the position most anticipated, but not the player many projected. With the No. 94 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Browns selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel is the Browns' second third-round pick of the night after taking tight end Harold Fannin Jr. out of Bowling Green with the No. 67 pick.
Last year with the Ducks, Gabriel was a Heisman Trophy finalist, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, among other accolades.
Gabriel helped lead Oregon to a Big Ten Championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, starting in 14 games with 447 completed passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
The 5'11" (sometimes listed as 6-feet) 205-pound quarterback ended his collegiate career as the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) all-time leader in total touchdowns with 189.
Gabriel enters a Browns team that currently has veteran Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in the quarterback room.
The Browns will have a QB competition in training camp this summer, looking for their starter in the 2025 season. Gabriel is both eager to compete against and to learn from both Flacco and Pickett.
"I think as a guy who's played a lot of ball myself, I obviously know there's still a lot for me to learn. And then on another piece, me being a vet in college, I know how much I was able to share knowledge in college with some younger guys, and I'll be doing the same learning from Joe. I think it is a unique situation and having a guy like him that has a lot of knowledge and has played a lot of ball, he's seen what works and what doesn't.And I think just being able to be a sponge and be around him will definitely benefit me," Gabriel said.
Perhaps the most important position for the Browns after missing on Deshaun Watson and having a carousel of QBs fail to find success last season, Gabriel said he's up for the challenge and pressure that is coming his way.
"I'm built for it. I've done this all my life. I've been playing quarterback from a young age and have stepped into top-tier programs that demand success. So I'm built for this, I'm ready for it. It's the new challenge. And although there's unknown, and this may be a first time for me in terms of being in the NFL, I think just my ability to adapt in college and be around a team and different teams in that way allows you to be able to adapt quickly and know naturally when you walk into a building, you got to be prepared. You've got to earn daily influence from your teammates and then that allows you to continue to challenge. So for me, pressure is a lot of fun. That's what you look forward to as a competitor and you run towards it," he said.
The Browns are done selecting for the night. They'll be on the clock again Sunday, their first pick is the No. 126 overall pick in Round 4.
Browns draft selections:
- Round 1- No. 5 overall (From Jacksonville): DT Mason Graham (READ MORE)
- Round 2- No. 33 overall: LB Carson Schwesinger (READ MORE)
- Round 2- No. 36 overall (From Jacksonville): RB Quinshon Judkins (READ MORE)
- Round 3- No. 67 overall: TE Harold Fannin Jr. (READ MORE)
- Round 3- No. 94 overall: QB Dillon Gabriel
- Round 4- No. 126 overall (From Jacksonville)
- Round 5- No.166 overall
- Round 6- No. 192 overall
