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Dillon Gabriel Has Four-Word Message on NFL Scouts Concerned About His Height

The Oregon Ducks quarterback is listed at 5'11"

Eva Geitheim

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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One of the primary knocks on Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel during the draft process is likely to be his size. At 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, Gabriel is shorter and lighter than the average quarterback.

The good news is Gabriel isn't concerned if some evaluators view his height as a con.

"I'm not for everyone," Gabriel acknowledged to CBS Sports at the NFL combine.

"For the wrong NFL evaluators," Gabriel said of those concerned with his height. "Teams that I just don't wanna be on in that case anyways. I think alignment is so important, from coaches, players, to ownership. For me, every team that I've met with that I've feel really good about, have voiced to me they don't give a riff about it. They value me for the right things, and that's decision making, efficiency, accuracy, all things that translate. To be quite honest, all guys that have done it, have been just fine. To each their own. ... I don't wanna be like anyone else."

Many NFL teams have become less afraid in recent years to drafting quarterbacks that are shorter than the prototypical signal-caller. Not only are they more willing to draft shorter quarterbacks, but even pick them at the top of the draft. The Carolina Panthers selected 5'10" Bryce Young first in 2023, and the Cleveland Browns drafted 6'1" Baker Mayfield first in 2018.

Gabriel is not projected to be a top-10 pick, but the former Duck will enter the NFL with loads of experience after playing six seasons of college football at Central Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon. The 24-year-old spent the final season of his collegiate career at Oregon, throwing for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns to six interceptions.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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