The proverbial book on Dillon Gabriel’s college career has reached its conclusion. It was a long-drawn novel spanning 6 years and entailing 64 games. Alas, he’s now played his last-ever snap in CFB. December earmarks the divergence of players down their separate ways. For Gabriel, he’ll traverse the most scenic yet treacherous path- The road to the NFL. After Oregon’s elimination from the CFP, the discourse pertaining to him has now pivoted toward April’s draft board. Everyone’s trying to discern when Roger Goodell will take his name, and who for. One analyst/draftnik has leveraged his insight. It comprises both good and bad news.

A plethora of franchises have a void at QB. Those picking in the lottery are expected to be in the mix for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, both of whom are conservatively top 5 picks. Consensus wisdom currently suggests that teams that miss out on the pair should forgo drafting a quarterback in the first round entirely. This is where an opportune Dillon Gabriel swoops in. The team he’s being touted for? The Las Vegas Raiders will pick no.7 on day 1, almost certainly after Shedeur and Cam are off the board. However, Raiders insider Mitchell Renz thinks an alternative QB is a better prospect.

Jalen Milroe has had a very different traversal through CFB. An apt microcosm is the fact that he’s only been a starter for 2 years at Alabama and has 27 total starts. However, he’ll also be vying for the same exact opportunities as Dillon Gabriel from here on out. Dissecting the Raiders’ selection process over on the NFL Draft by Chat Sports YouTube Channel, Mitchell Renz said he’s hearing they’re interested in Gabriel. But thinks Milroe is “better value”. He elaborated on this discernment. 

“Based on [who] I talked to, it sounds like the Raiders like Dillon Gabriel more than they like Jalen Milroe. But I don’t think that they like it based on [the] player. I think it’s more based on the overall value.” said Renz. He proceeded to use hypothetical draft picks, around where the two players are trending towards getting selected, to explain the value aspect. “If you told me in a draft, Jalen Milroe goes [no.] 59 and then Dillon Gabriel goes [no.] 69 overall. I’m gonna say that Jalen Milroe is the better value overall there.” The two are very different archetypes of quarterback. Gabriel is more well-rounded, but his 5’11 frame makes one skeptical of how he’ll translate physically to the NFL. Milroe, on the other hand, is a physical specimen.

For the longest time, it seemed like the Raiders were destined for picking a QB in round 1. Shedeur had even been dropping subliminal hints about going there. In apt Las Vegas fashion, the chips didn’t fall in place at the very end. Whether they go down the Gabriel, Milroe, or a different route, it may be a blessing in disguise that they missed out on a top 3ish pick.

Dillon Gabriel and Jalen Milroe bring forth a different strategy for the Raiders

The issues at the Raiders run so deep that they could indulge in some acrobatics. Now that they’re unlikely to get their main target, Shedeur, there’s a rationale for them to trade back. This would allow them to draft multiple high-caliber picks. Filling out the supporting cast instead of going all-in on the quarterback. Then, draft a QB such as Dillon Gabriel or Jalen Milroe in the later rounds. A multitude of issues means spreading your rebuild around, which could be a shrewd move. 

Not every outfit will get their franchise QB straightaway, so chancing a low draft pick on an alternative strategy is a calculated risk. The likes of Jaxson Dart, Kurtis Rourke and Carson Beck are others who fall in a similar boat. They’ll all seek to leave a mark at the Draft Combine in a couple of months’ time.

This hypothesis, of course, is dependent on the consensus decree that Dillon Gabriel and the rest will indeed slide enough to pursue this strategy. However, the draft can throw up surprises. Just this year, the Falcons’ pick of Micheal Penix Jr. became a proponent of this. This QB class isn’t as top-heavy as last year, which saw the most QBs picked in the first round ever. But it’s still deep and has a couple of unpolished gems if you look close enough. The Las Vegas Raiders will hope their due diligence leads them to the right one.