Shedeur Sanders 'Way Better' Than Cleveland Browns' Dillon Gabriel Says NFL Receiver

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel is no stranger to having outside doubters, something there is certainly no shortage of during his offseason battle with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders.

Gabriel, who the Browns selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, shined for the Oregon Ducks last season in his final year of college. Despite having a record-setting career along with some memorable moments during his one season in Eugene, it was still shocking to many that Gabriel was selected that high.

Add former NFL wide receiver Cecil Shorts to that list. But for him, the doubt toward Gabriel goes a bit deeper.

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass in the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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During a recent appearance on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Shorts said he believes Sanders "is way better" than Gabriel from a talent perspective but added that the competition should only be between the two rookies and not Pickett or Flacco.

"Let them battle it out, choose one and ride with them and see what they can do." Shorts said of the rookies. "And I'm not big on switching quarterbacks... I hate that. Let the rookie battle all 17 games; if he's healthy, battle all 17 games. Let him develop. Let him get better."

"To me, talent-wise like you mentioned, Shedeur is way better than Dillon," Shorts continued. "Dillon wasn't on anybody's list. Let's call a spade of spade. Nobody was thinking about Dillon Gabriel being drafted in the first three rounds. Nobody. Wasn't on anybody's list. Nobody was talking about him on TV at all. Come on, let's be real here."

Shorts, a Cleveland native, has no shortage of passion for his hometown Browns. He even called out general manager Andrew Berry for his questionable draft history, a comment that stemmed from Shorts' confusion with Gabriel being a third-round pick.

Shorts was originally a fourth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played six seasons in the league, playing one year apiece for the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 70 career regular season games, he had 229 catches for 2,979 yards and 14 touchdowns.

May 10, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) talks to the media during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Though Shorts' football knowledge is greater than 99 percent of the population, it remains to be seen which of the two rookies will look better until the training camp and preseason lights get brighter. It's pretty fair to say that Sanders has the physical edge over Gabriel, but it can be easy to look past Gabriel's slight physical disadvantages when taking into account the kind of production he had as a starter during his time in college.

Across time with the UCF Knights, Oklahoma Sooners and then at Oregon, Gabriel earned his way into the NCAA record books, ending his collegiate career as the FBS all-time leader in career touchdowns (189) and starts (63).

In his only year at Oregon, Gabriel finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist after going 326 of 447 passing for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions along with seven rushing scores. He also led the Ducks to a 12-0 regular season and a win in the Big Ten Championship.

Gabriel, Sanders and the Browns will begin preseason action on Aug. 8 against the Carolina Panthers, giving fans their first chance to see the two rookies perform in live NFL action.