Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Gabriel was a three-star recruit from Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii in the class of 2019

Dillon Gabriel is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football history. Many college veterans went in the first round last year, but Gabriel’s lack of physical tools puts a ceiling on his projection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Dillon Gabriel, QB Oregon: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Sixth-year quarterback from Mililani, Hawaii

Background: Gabriel was a three-star recruit from Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii in the class of 2019. He was the No. 754 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 679 for On3.com. Gabriel was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Army before flipping to UCF. Gabriel transferred from UCF to Oklahoma for the 2022 season and transferred to Oregon for the 2024 season. In 2018, he was the Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year, OIA Offensive Player of the Year, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State Offensive Player of the Year. That season, he passed for 3,754 yards and 38 touchdowns and earned First Team All-Oahu Interscholastic Association honors for the third time. Gabriel led Mililani to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division 1 State Championship Game as a senior. He set a state record with 9,948 career passing yards and finished second with 105 career passing touchdowns. His father, Garrett, played quarterback for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors from 1986-1990, completing 357 of 663 passes for 5,638 yards, 47 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed ten games in 2021 with a broken left clavicle, missed 2022 game vs. Texas with a concussion suffered against TCU, left 2023 game against BYU with an upper body injury

Awards: 2019 Second Team All-AAC (PFF), 2019 Gasparilla Bowl MVP, 2020 Second Team All-AAC, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2022 Second Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press, PFF), 2022 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, 2023 First Team All-Big 12, 2024 First Team All-Big Ten, 2024 Third Team All-American, 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, 2024 Big Ten Quarterback of the Year

Pros: Production at three programs, smooth throwing motion and release, gets the ball out quick, sets or resets feet quickly to throw, navigates the pocket well, calm under pressure, stands in the pocket and takes hits to deliver throws, speeds up throwing motion to beat pressure, quick processor working through progressions, reads the whole field and gets to his checkdown, rarely puts the ball in harm’s way, throws ball away to avoid losing yards, protects his receivers from big hits, adjusts velocity on short passes, good touch, layers throws between the defense’s second and third levels, well-placed third level throws, completions on tape traveling 45+ air yards, creates some second chance opportunities for the offense, makes the first rusher miss, mobility to roll out and extend plays, comfortable rolling out and throwing on the move, runs when left alone in space, slides to avoid bit hits, manageable fumbles, good ball fakes in the backfield

Cons: Age, limited size, size and double clutches lead to batted passes, slight dip in throwing motion, needs to anticipate and get the ball out sooner, telegraphs passes, eyes open chances for defenders to jump routes, velocity and arm strength, velocity dies on some far hash throws, ball dies on some throws, underthrown deep passes, passes up some downfield throws in favor of safer shorter routes, gets a little too lax and inaccurate on dump offs, consistent inaccuracies on slants and shallow crossers, needs to lead receivers more on shallow crossers, limited number of true downfield shots at Oregon, lacks elite mobility and off-platform creativity, not a big threat on designed QB keepers, run down from behind, not elusive

Overview: Gabriel is an older prospect who proved his worth in college by elevating three separate programs. He’s under 6'0", and his lack of size is extremely noticeable compared to recent Oregon quarterbacks. Gabriel’s limited height and double clutching contribute to batted passes at the line. He struggles to fit throws over or around defensive linemen at times. Gabriel has a smooth throwing motion and release, but there’s a slight dip in his motion and a sidearm element to his release. He gets the ball out quickly and speeds up his footwork and throwing motion under pressure. Gabriel navigates the pocket to buy time and delivers throws with defenders crashing down on him. He works through his progressions quickly and displays the ability to handle full field reads while working to his checkdown. The Hawaii native knows when to throw the ball away and rarely puts it in harm’s way. He even protects his receivers from big hits by leading them away from defenders with his ball placement. Gabriel doesn’t show ideal anticipation for a sixth-year player, and he’s guilty of tipping off defenders by staring down intended targets. He takes some velocity off his short passes to make them more catch-able, but throws too many inaccurate dumps offs and shallow passes. Gabriel needs to adjust his ball placement to lead receivers on slants and shallow crossers more often. He throws with excellent touch, masterfully layering the ball over linebackers and in front of the defense’s third level. His ball placement at the intermediate to deep levels is impressive. Gabriel completed some throws of roughly 45 air yards downfield this year, but his velocity and arm strength don’t check traditional boxes. The ball dies on throws to the far hash and fades on some throws that require high-end velocity. Gabriel underthrows speedsters downfield and passes up deep passing opportunities for safer, more comfortable short routes. He creates some second chance opportunities for the offense with his mobility inside and outside of the pocket. The All-American makes the first pass rusher to reach him miss, resets, and gets off nice throws. He eludes defenders in the pocket or rolls out, extends plays, and throws off-platform. Offenses won’t design many runs for him considering his lack of size and elusiveness, but defenses need to be mindful of his legs.

Overall, Gabriel is a tough, undersized quarterback who defeats defenses with his processing, ability to avoid turnover worthy plays, and occasional out-of-structure creation. His touch and ball placement help him complete chunk plays at the intermediate level and occasionally downfield. Gabriel lacks the physical traits to hit every throw and faces an uphill battle to see playing time.

Role & Scheme Fit: Play action heavy horizontal stretching offense

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Mid Fifth Round

Size: 5'11 1/8", 205 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 12-13-24

Updated: 03-18-25