Dillon Gabriel’s dream of playing college football took him places. Literally. Six years. Three programs. 64 games as the QB1. More stats? Well, 156 touchdowns. His name is perennially etched in the annals of college football after a career that saw him finish with the most passing touchdowns in FBS history. There’s little adversity Gabriel hasn’t experienced and subsequently risen above. Yet, this proverbial line in the sand between CFB and the NFL is proving to be a bit of a challenge to navigate. The very tangible records and evidence of his quarterbacking prowess aren’t earning Dillon Gabriel much leverage with scouts, front offices, and ex-pros. The reason is egregious, even partisan, and cusping on prejudicial. But it’s very rational.

The football sphere is in unanimous agreement that Dillon Gabriel shall be a mid-round pick on Day 3. Someone who projects as a career backup with little upside. Mind you, he arrived in Eugene just last off-season and led Oregon to the B1G Championship off the bat. Gabriel has played across multiple conferences and has seen all sorts of defenses. He’s shown to be a chameleon who can adjust and adapt to various systems and schemes. He’s mobile, too, not just in and out of the pocket but also as a rushing threat downfield. Most of all, Gabriel’s got an unrivaled amount of experience. Now, sure, experience means age, and age means there’s a limited ceiling to work with. But there’s a more tangible issue that makes Gabriel difficult to endorse as a potential franchise quarterback.

Dillon Gabriel is one of the tallest figures in CFB if we consider his achievements. Actual height? 5”11. His small frame has proven to be the biggest “yeah, but” throughout his draft process. Relatively short quarterbacks have historically struggled in the pros. As hyperbolic as it may seem, the reason can be something as straightforward as not being able to see your receivers over your offensive line! This is baked into former Bengals’ first-round pick and Georgia alum David Pollack grading Dillon Gabriel as a “4th, 5th or 6th” round pick.

Over his “See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack” podcast, the namesake host said, “Here’s the thing going against Gabriel, whether you like it or not. He’s tiny. I mean, he’s absolutely tiny. You think of a guy like Tua [Tagovailoa], who’s [also] tiny and it’s not shown up well.” The Dolphins QB1 stands at 6”1, still short relative to his contemporaries. Pollack brought forth another similarity Dillon Gabriel shares with fellow Hawaii native Tua that works against him. “He’s also a lefty, which is different. I know it’s not the end of the world, but left tackles make all the money,” he said. The implication here is that a lefty QB’s blindside would be the right tackle, which is a position usually occupied by the weaker of the offensive tackles. 

David Pollack proceeded to say, “I think [with] the size and stature, nobody’s looking at him going, ‘I’m going to steal him in the 4th round. He’s going to be my starter.’ I mean, he is a backup QB that maybe you need one day in the future and you plug and play. But he’s not a guy people are looking to build a franchise with.”

To be fair, there have been instances where shorter QBs have found success in the NFL. Drew Brees and Russell Wilson are the flagbearers for this faction. However, they’re indeed exceptions to the norm. There is one franchise projected to be interested in and draft Dillon Gabriel though. One that, ironically, has an even shorter QB1 in place.

Dillon Gabriel projected to land with the Carolina Panthers

5″10 Bryce Young, the no.1 overall pick a couple of years ago, has struggled to translate his Natty escapades with Alabama with the Panthers. This has marred subsequent QBs in the eyes of the decision-makers. However, it seems not to have marred that Panthers enough to go in for seconds. As per the mock draft released by Ben Rolfe of PFSN, Gabriel could be taken in the fifth round. Team? The Panthers with the 140th pick.

But they already have Young? Right? Well, one obvious reason is to have a better depth in the QB room. Young walked into the Panthers as a bit of a messiah figure. Someone who could repeat what Cam Newton did for the team. His time in the NFL has entailed moments of greatness and moments of growth alike. Last season was a microcosm of things. He got benched in week 3 but finished the year on a hot streak. A relatively inexperienced offense led by Young almost won games against two teams that featured in the Super Bowl. He had both the Chiefs and the Eagles on the ropes. 

If Gabriel does find himself in the same QB room, he can offer his expertise as well as potentially challenge for the starting spot in case Young’s uptick at the end of 2024 was a flash in the pan. Still, on his rookie scale contract worth just north of $37 million, the Panthers can still move off Young. Albeit, it’s very unlikely.

From Gabriel’s perspective, the Panthers are a double-edged sword. On the surface level, it’s a team where he can challenge for the QB1 shirt. But it’s also a team where he could rot on the bench for a very long time. Given that the starter is so young, pun intended! Well, he’s not got too much leverage. Dillon Gabriel will just hope he winds up in an environment conducive to growth that sees past the potential physical issues.