NFL Draft Profile: Dillon Gabriel, Quarterback, Oklahoma Sooners
#11
Pos: QB
Ht: 5116
Wt: 186
40: 4.55
DOB: 12/28/
Hometown: Mililani, HI
High School: Mililani
Eligibility: 2023
Dillon Gabriel
Oklahoma Sooners
One-Liner:
A dual-threat quarterback with a ton of upside. He is a very accurate passer with excellent ball placement and the ability to break a big-time run.
Evaluation:
This is a great dual-threat quarterback and yet a very underrated prospect. From the moment he stepped on the field as a freshman at UCF he was successful, which came at a vital time for the team as it was during the school's best years. He has very good timing on his passes and is extremely accurate. He is also outstanding with ball placement and puts the ball only where his receivers can catch it. He is good at throwing on the run and can take off downfield with ease. His athletic ability makes him very dangerous when it comes to running zone reads and RPOs. Has no problem standing in the pocket and taking a hit, while still making an accurate throw. He is fantastic with wide receiver screens because of the offense UCF ran and he has a great deep ball, however, that offense didn’t call for many intermediate throws so it’s unclear how is with them. Under Coach Josh Heupel he was in an “air raid” offense, so he is very good at getting the ball out of his hand quickly and has a very quick release, which is crucial especially when throwing under pressure. On the downside, he didn’t throw many intermediate passes and that will most be very important at the next level. He also struggles going through his progression and will give up on his reads too fast, instead choosing to run right away. He will need to improve that aspect of his position because NFL defenders will be able to read his eyes and make an interception or force him to run the whole game. This will be a crucial year for him, coming off of a serious injury and playing with a new team, luckily he has familiarity with the Sooners’ new offensive coordinator so he should have an easier transition.
Grade:
5th Round
Background:
Dillon Gabriel originally started his college career at UCF where he started thirteen games for the team. He was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Year award in 2020 and now coming to Oklahoma, he will want to earn that award. In high school, he was ranked as the fifteenth dual threat Quarterback in the nation. Gabriel is a communications major and in the classroom at UCF, was on the Dean’s List in the Spring of 2021 semester.
