Oregon QB Has Major Tua Similarities But Says He's Not Tua 2.0

Dillon Gabriel is an undersized lefty quarterback from Hawaii with traits that would make him a good fit for the Miami Dolphins offense

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel speaks at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

INDIANAPOLIS — As an undersized lefty quarterback from Hawaii, it's inevitable to look at Dillon Gabriel and not think about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, particularly since they do share similarities in playing style.

The similarities are strong enough that some media analysts have speculated about the Dolphins selected the Oregon quarterback to join Tagovailoa and eventually follow him as the starter. And, sure enough, Gabriel did confirm at the scouting combine Friday that he had met with Dolphins officials in Indianapolis.

That obviously doesn't mean the Dolphins will wind up drafting him, only that they were interested in getting to know him a bit more. And if they do draft him, it likely wouldn't be until at least the third round, which generally is the earliest Gabriel is projected to be selected.

GABRIEL AND THE TUA COMPARISONS

Like Tagovailoa, Gabriel's best attribute as a passer is accuracy and he also has to deal with size concerns.

But Gabriel isn't necessarily sold on just how similar the two are.

"Yeah, there's a lefty; I think there's lefty comparisons," he said. "But as you can imagine, there's very few of us, which is cool. It's a differentiator. It makes us different. But I think more than that, there's different playing styles, a great person to be compared to, of course, a guy I've watched growing up and has had a bunch of success. So, you know, I think teach your own and you'll have to look and see and maybe take a deeper dive into different playing styles. "

If there is a difference in Gabriel's favor, it's better scrambling ability.

Though he broke Tua's Hawaii high school career passing yardage record, Tagovailoa entered the NFL as a more accomplished passer from his time at Alabama.

Gabriel, though, was very productive during his stops at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon.

Asked how he would sell himself to NFL teams, Gabriel said, "I've had the most experience ever as you could imagine, starting in high school as a freshman all the way into my senior year on varsity, and then have done the same here in college. Then I'd say, my leadership ability, I think I've learned it as I've gotten older, have been built for the position growing up, and played it, so it's something I know very well. I'm a winner. I've won it all three spots, and have done in big games and everything in between. And then I'm learning. I know I won't know everything going into the door in the NFL. Got a bunch of knowledge, but there's still a bunch for me to learn, so I'm eager to learn, and know that there's a lot of room for growth.

"If a team wants a winner, wants a franchise leader, then they know who to call. But I also just want them to know that I want a believer as well, someone who believes in my abilities and I can go out there and go in games. So I think that, in itself, will help being the right fit."

Asked for his best attribute, Gabriel mentioned decision-making.

"You can tell a lot about a person on how they choose things, and that goes hand in hand on and off the field," Gabriel said. "But my decision making, for me, is something I've had myself on. Have chosen three spots that have been really good for me, and have had a lot of success. But then when you get on the field, you can tell a lot about a person and how confident, decisive they are. And I take pride in that."