Browns Digest

Browns legend explains why Dillon Gabriel's height matters in the NFL

Dillon Gabriel's height has been a topic of conversation, but is it really limiting him? A few Cleveland Browns legends have weighed in.
Paul Keren|
Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) walks off the field after their loss against the Minnesota Vikings in an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) walks off the field after their loss against the Minnesota Vikings in an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Dillon Gabriel is listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds. The only two quarterbacks who are currently starters in the NFL who are listed at shorter heights are Bryce Young of the Panthers and Kyler Murray of the Cardinals, both at 5-foot-10. 

The average height for an NFL quarterback ranges between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3. Now that doesn’t say that quarterbacks under those heights will not be successful. Drew Brees, Russell Wilson and Fran Tarkenton are examples of how height does not limit a player. But the argument is necessary for playing a position like quarterback, where the ability to see the entire field is essential. 

This argument came up recently on The Top Dawgs Show on the BIGPLAY Sports Network with former Browns players Josh Cribbs and Phil Taylor.

Is Dylan Gabriel too short to be the guy for Cleveland?

“He's not standing in that pocket completing passes,” Taylor said.

Taylor exclaimed that the Browns have to move the pocket for him because he is “too short” and “can’t see.”

“That’s the issue,” Cribbs added, saying that Gabriel can make the plays outside of the pocket when moving towards his throwing side.

The flip side of the argument is that Gabriel was an extremely successful college quarterback, with the most touchdowns thrown in a college career at 155, tied with Case Keenum. And the second most passing yards in a college career. 

While Gabriel did not make many impressive throws from the pocket, the two that stand out for his second touchdown to David Njoku were when he stood tall and delivered a good pass over the middle. The other example is the late third and 13, where Gabriel stood in the pocket and had a nice pass to Jeudy, but Jeudy eventually dropped it.

The problem is that it is not nearly enough for a starting quarterback in the NFL. 15 of Gabriel’s 19 completions ( 78.9%) came from inside the pocket on Sunday, while most of these completions were quick passes that the ball came out of his hands in under 2.5 seconds, including screens and dump-offs. On the contrary, 12  of his 13 incompletions (not counting the spike) also came from inside the pocket. Those incompletions came with a couple of overthrows/miscommunications, a batted ball, and an underthrown ball.

Gabriel did excel with getting the ball out quickly as he finished 12 of 17 with 100 yards and those two touchdowns all under 2.5 seconds of time to throw, per Next Gen Stats.

Gabriel needs to improve his ability to complete passes and progress through some plays, especially when pushing the ball downfield, as he did not attempt a deep pass in this game (20+ air yards). The Browns should play to his strengths, try to keep his abilities unimpaired by his height, and ensure he gets the ball out of his hands quickly.

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Paul Keren
PAUL KEREN

Hi, I’m Paul, I’m from Northeast Ohio, and a recent graduate of Kent State University. As an Ohio native, I’m a huge fan of the Browns, Guardians, and Cavaliers. Just don’t ask me about my favorite college team, though.

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