The Cleveland Browns enter 2025 with their defense and rushing attack expected to carry much of the load, but the real intrigue centers around their quarterback situation.
Four signal callers currently compete for the starting role, each bringing distinctly different skill sets to the table.
The focus has shifted toward the rookie prospects in this crowded competition.
Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel represent the future possibilities, though early evaluations suggest one may have a clearer path than the other.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic recently shared his assessment of Gabriel’s NFL prospects, delivering a blunt evaluation that caught attention across the league.
“Dillon Gabriel does not look like an NFL quarterback to me, like, 0%, so I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Jackson said. “They fell in love with [his] intangibles. Gabriel was fairly impressive at the Senior Bowl. Andrew Berry and [Kevin Stefanski] were on the sideline watching every throw. I just don’t think anybody, any other team, was taking him in the Top 100 or probably the Top 150. If I’m wrong and the Cleveland Browns have their quarterback, that’d be great. But if it’s Dillon Gabriel, I would be beyond shocked.”
Zac Jackson: “Dillon Gabriel does not look like an NFL quarterback to me.”pic.twitter.com/l38mEFjEkG
— BrownsNation.com (@BrownsNationcom) May 31, 2025
The harsh assessment reflects broader concerns about Gabriel’s physical profile translating to professional success.
Jackson noted the absence of any draft buzz surrounding Gabriel among other teams, with uncertainty about whether he would have been selected at all without Cleveland’s intervention in the later rounds.
Gabriel faces the challenge that many physically limited quarterbacks encounter at the NFL level.
His frame and athletic traits fall outside the typical mold that tends to succeed in professional football.
While this doesn’t guarantee failure, it creates additional obstacles in an already demanding transition.
Cleveland maintains flexibility in their quarterback timeline, avoiding pressure to rush into naming a 2025 starter.
However, the upcoming season carries significant weight for evaluation purposes.
The current quarterbacks understand their window for proving themselves remains limited.
With two first-round selections available in 2026, the Browns could easily pivot toward drafting their franchise quarterback if the current group fails to establish clear leadership of the position.
NEXT:
Analyst Gushes About What He’s Seeing From Shedeur Sanders
