Dillon Gabriel’s history with Dan Lanning goes beyond Oregon. Lanning was an assistant with the Georgia Bulldogs when he first encountered the quarterback during the recruiting process. Although Gabriel committed to UCF as his first college program, the two would reunite years later. However, it wasn’t a straightforward decision for the player. He had been with the Sooners for two years by that time and had grown fond of the program. “I love Oklahoma. I love all the people I met there. I think that’s the spot where I truly grew up to be the player I was going to be,” he revealed after joining Oregon. But he soon found out that coming to Eugene was the right choice.

When Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon for his final season of eligibility, he was in a conundrum. He was expecting to get ready for the NFL instead of using a sixth year of collegiate eligibility to play for the Ducks. But when it was revealed he received a seventh-round undrafted free agent NFL grade, he decided to stay back and entered the transfer portal. Soon, he found himself as the heir to the proverbial throne in Oregon vacated by Bo Nix, and a few months later, Lanning was singing his praises.

“This guy deserves every single thing that comes his way,” Lanning said after Gabriel delivered hardware to Eugene in the form of the B1G championship. This was the program’s first tangible bit of success under this regime, and in its inaugural year in the conference post realignment. While the head coach was quick to give Gabriel his flowers, the QB has come up with high praise for Lanning.

With less than a fortnight remaining before the NFL Draft, Dillon Gabriel sat down for an interview with Rich Eisen on April 7. During the conversation, Gabriel proclaimed Lanning set him up for his imminent ascension to the next level better than any other coach could’ve.

Eisen asked Gabriel to shed light on Dan Lanning and how he’s got the players to buy into his philosophy and the general culture he’s installed in Eugene. Gabriel spoke about how being a young coach makes Lanning quite relatable. Before proceeding to say something rather resounding. “I give him a lot of props. He’s probably the closest I’ve got to an NFL environment…that’s, honestly, got me prepared for what I’m about to walk into,” said Gabriel. For a player who’s been at a blueblood program in Oklahoma, that’s telling. To be honest, though, the proof is in the pudding.

Under Lanning, Gabriel completed 326-of-447 passes for the Ducks for a career-high completion percentage of 72.9. He also threw for a career-high 3,857 yards while matching a career high with 30 touchdowns. No wonder he holds Lanning in such high regard, and if recent history is anything to go by, it bodes well for Gabriel.

Bo Nix epitomizes how Dan Lanning really may have an elite conveyor belt to the NFL. Before joining forces at Oregon in ‘22, Nix’s best season from a pass completion standpoint was 61% in 2021. Right off the bat, he jumped up to north of 71% after transferring. His final year in college in 2023 saw him become one of the most accurate passers in the history of the sport at over 77%.

His NFL Draft stock soared right into the lottery in round 1, and he proved this to be merited as a rookie. Leading the Broncos to the playoffs straightaway, Bo Nix was unequivocally the 2nd best rookie QB in his class, which means he exceeded expectations. This is something Gabriel would be hoping to emulate. 

Oregon has developed a plethora of talent elsewhere, too, that’s ascending and is shining in the pros. Evan Williams (Packers) and Troy Franklin (Broncos) are some of the other names that have found success in the NFL after graduating under Lanning.

Lanning’s time subordinating Kirby Smart at Georgia is probably where he found the magic formula. Georgia has been uber-successful in preparing players for the pros, and that may just have permeated all the way out west to Oregon.

While Dillon Gabriel hasn’t quite been able to gain the full benefit of this eminence. A few deficiencies- including a rather glaring one- have meant he’s not a very sought-after prospect in this draft class. But he has six years of college experience with three different programs, which suggests he has no problems learning an offense and adapting to the needs of a team. Moreover, he’s unironically perfect for a franchise that’s been routinely linked with him throughout this process.

Dillon Gabriel’s touted to join a QB room with a clone of his

Dillon Gabriel’s physical frame really hinders him from breaching the upper echelons (no pun intended!) of the draft. At 5’11, he’s rather short for a QB. While legends like Drew Brees have made this issue look partisan, others, such as Bryce Young, have fanned the flames of the prejudice against shorter QBs. A lesser hindrance- but still one baked into his NFL grade- is that Gabriel’s a lefty. Just an unwelcome wrinkle since the offensive schemes essentially need to be mirrored, and the offensive tackles are reversed in terms of importance. That said, there’s a team weighing up a move for Gabriel that’s already contending with a QB1 possessing both these traits.

The Miami Dolphins are in a bit of a weird situation. They’ve just signed Tua Tagovailoa on a massive four-year, $212 million contract and made their bed with him being their long-term franchise quarterback. However, it’s not exactly a home run decision. Apart from a tendency to underwhelm in the big spots, Tua’s got really concerns with his health. The number of concussions he’s dealt with is stacking up. Something even as severe as a premature retirement to protect himself is on the board. With these concerns, drafting Dillon Gabriel as a late-round pick makes a lot of sense.

Gabriel’s shown how adaptable he is in different systems and with different personnel along his 3 CFB stops. Plus, Tua’s a lefty. The transition in case Gabriel needs to plug in on short notice would be easier in theory. He’s also 6’1- not necessarily short but still undersized by NFL quarterback standards.

Not to mention, Dillon Gabriel’s got a lot of respect for Tua. As a fellow Hawaiian, he’s perhaps going to push Tua to his limits while simultaneously not stirring any issues in case there’s no playing time coming about. It’s pretty poetic how Gabriel is coming from Oregon, whose best QB ever is arguably the Hawaiian Marcus Mariota, and now, he may be headed to play alongside another. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has Gabriel going 116th overall to the Dolphins in his latest mock draft.  There’s no smoke without fire. Even Rich Eisen, quite cheekily, alluded to it during the interview.

If this indeed transpires, Dillon Gabriel may be subjected to being a backup for possibly his entire stint. But there’s a morbid reality that Tua Tagovailoa’s recurring issues catch up to him, and Gabriel gets his opportunity. Dan Lanning has prepared him, we shall see if the chance to showcase said preparation comes about.