Eugene: Oregon hosted its Pro Day on Tuesday and one in the spotlight was their QB standout Dillon Gabriel. The Mililani, HI native had a good sixth year to wrap up his collegiate run– A career-high 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, along with a career-best and nation’s third-best 72.9% completions. He led the Ducks to a 13-1 season, sweeping the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Still, his draft stock did not showcase his talents with many projecting him out of the first round.

The reason? His Combine performance. The 5-ft-11 struggled with accuracy and only completed half the throws in his Combine drills. So, after a few weeks, his chance came in Eugene to prove the projections wrong and that he wasn’t playing second fiddle to anyone.

All the conditions were perfect– Home field, known faces like the receivers Tez Johnson and Kenyon Sadiq, and a strategy to showcase his best-self. So, did he do it? Did he leave a lasting impression? For one person, he certainly did.

Entering the Moshofsky Center, Gabriel had to make up for the misses he had in his Combine outing. So, even with Ducks icons and current NFL stars Justin Herbert and Bo Nix in the crowd put on a show.

In a session designed to highlight his accuracy and footwork, the former Oregon quarterback connected with receivers Johnson and Sadiq, putting passes on a string and showcasing the kind of arm talent that had long made him one of college football’s most prolific passers. While the scouts jotted down notes, someone else in the building had a front-row seat to his big moment.

His fiancée, Zo Caswell, was locked in, watching as Gabriel uncorked a perfectly placed deep dime to Johnson on a go-route—a throw that sent murmurs through the crowd and had at least one NFL general manager in attendance taking notice. Caswell didn’t just admire from a distance; she made sure the world knew how proud she was.

Shortly after the session, she shared Gabriel’s dime on her Instagram story with☺👏🏻emojis, cheering for his potential turn around in the drafts. The two are high school sweethearts and have navigated the wild ride of college football from UCF to Oklahoma and finally to Oregon. No doubt, she had to be there for the big event for Dillon where he had some opportunities to impress faces from NFL as well.

While some reports, like from USC Annenberg Media, suggest that his balls were overthrown, forcing Johnson to accelerate to avoid a grounded ball, calling it an “Underwhelming” showcase, some are in awe of his throw to the WR. In the clip shared by Oregon’s official Instagram account, Gabriel throws a deep ball to Johnson which the latter catches very smoothly, showing their connection is just as strong.

After the Pro Day wrapped up, Dillon had just this to confirm his self-confidence, “I bring the most experience ever of any college or high school quarterback could bring. All I know is playing and all I know is preparing a certain way. All I know is winning. I think I’ve brought the perfect balance of winning and knowing a bunch of different styles.”

Dillon ends his collegiate run with some big numbers that have already joined great names in the history books. His 18,722 passing yards stand at all-time second behind Case Keenum who he ties with 155 for all-time passing TDs in 64 games to Keenum’s 57. And his 2024 season numbers are also quite gaudy. But there’s more concern to his NFL Draft standing.

The big hang-up? His height. He doesn’t exactly fit that classic NFL quarterback build. At Oregon’s Pro Day, you could really see it when he was standing next to Bo Nix (6’2″) and Justin Herbert (6’6″). It definitely got people talking. Now, his stats? Those speak for themselves. But his NFL projection remains a hot ‘uncertain’ topic.

Questions about his size and fit at the next level have loomed over his draft process, but a performance like this forces teams to take a second look. A quarterback with that level of experience, production, and leadership doesn’t just grow on trees. And when he’s out there hitting deep shots in front of decision-makers, it’s impossible to ignore the potential. One team in particular might have been paying extra attention.

A key mystery figure was impressed by Dillon Gabriel

Dillon Gabriel did what he came to do at Oregon’s Pro Day—he showcased his arm, his touch, and his command. He impressed NFL scouts, coaches, and execs, but more importantly, he might have also impressed an exec in attendance.

Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon for his final college season, was the featured quarterback at the event. With San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch among the key figures in attendance, there were high-level decision-makers watching his every throw.

Despite his impressive college resume and eye-popping stats, Gabriel isn’t projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department currently ranks him as the No. 10 quarterback in this year’s draft class. In fact, since October last year, he has been projected as a late pick, at times even crossing day 3 for some. His post-Combine projections could not help much either as he stayed as the second to third round pick for most.

But rankings and projections don’t tell the whole story. Gabriel has proven time and again that he can sling it with the best of them. He has started at every level– from high school’s four years to NCAA’s 64 games– showing that he is one of the most trustable entity on any team. Now with the Pro Day down as well, is it possible that his stocks will improve a little?