In the process of conducting 30 visits ahead of the NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns were somewhat deceptive. They visited with quite a few quarterbacks, including Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough during their pre-draft evaluation time, and also met with Dillon Gabriel publicly.
But, the team also met with Gabriel privately, and it was a meeting unbeknownst to fans and most media. The private dinner was between Gabriel, the front office, and owner Jimmy Haslam, and it obviously would've signalled more serious interest in Gabriel than fans would've likely anticipated. This was all revealed by Mark Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
That's probably why it was kept extremely under wraps.
Gabriel was destined to be their pick. Whether it's because they saw his Senior Bowl workouts and came away with the sense that he'd be a fun project pick to add on Day 2 or 3 to their quarterback room, or because they were just so bent on not taking Sanders with a pick that wasn't in the first round, it was clear they were impressed by the Oregon quarterback.
Gabriel was always meant to be Browns' pick in NFL Draft
Back in February, we covered the praise that Gabriel had been receiving during Senior Bowl week. He was zipping the ball, looked like the fastest passer in the class, and drew comparisons to Miami Dolphins lefty passer Tua Tagovailoa in the process of evaluating him.
Analysts like Todd McShay really praised Gabriel back in February, saying on his podcast that his "quickness," "timing," and "processing" all stood out from the 5-11 signal caller, which all helped to boost his stock despite his height being a hinderance at times when it comes to his vision down the middle of the field.
Stefanski clearly wanted to prioritize a quarterback with quick decision making, a winning resume, and a strong arm. Gabriel does, in fact, check those boxes. We've seen stranger things with shorter quarterbacks taken later in the draft - just ask New York Giants starter and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson.
We'll quickly find out if Stefanski is the quarterback whisperer he has seemed to earned the reputation of since revitalizing Joe Flacco's career back in 2023.
