BEREA, Ohio – The selection of quarterback Dillon Gabriel by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the NFL draft surprised many, given that he was expected to be chosen in a later round. However, the news was quickly overshadowed by the selection of Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round, who experienced an unexpected fall.
Since then, Sanders has garnered attention both inside and outside of Cleveland, but Gabriel has welcomed his addition to an already competitive group of quarterbacks.
“I love it,” Gabriel said on Saturday, before the second practice of the Browns’ rookie minicamp. “I love it for who he is. I think for both of us, we can learn from each other, but also it’s not just the two of us in the room. At least for now it is. But going into the year, Kenny [Pickett], Joe [Flacco], and even Deshaun [Watson], a bunch of guys who played a lot of football and who we can all learn from.”
Dillon Gabriel
On the first day of the rookie minicamp, Sanders and Gabriel split the practice reps, with Gabriel taking the first snaps in team drills. Coach Kevin Stefanski downplayed the practice order, although he did note that the rookies’ work in the minicamp is as much about competition as it is about instruction, and that the competition for the quarterback position in the coming months would be a “comprehensive evaluation”.
Both Sanders and Gabriel are transitioning to the professional realm after successful college careers. Sanders played four years at FCS Jackson State before joining his father, Deion Sanders, at Colorado. Gabriel, for his part, had a six-year career with 63 starts at Oregon, Oklahoma, and UCF.
Despite the competition in the quarterback group, Gabriel stated that he approaches each practice as if he were going to be the starter.
“I only know one way to prepare,” Gabriel said. “I only know one way to work and it’s like the headline. I’ve played a lot of football and I have a lot of experience, so I’m going to use that to my advantage. … I think every day I approach it like I’m going to get that rep and I live it like that.”
Dillon Gabriel
Sanders, for his part, stated that his focus is not on proving anything to anyone after his surprising fall in the draft.
It’s me against me,” Sanders said. “I can’t control any other decision but that. So, I just try to be my best self at all times. … My job here isn’t to prove people wrong. I’m proving that I’m right.”
Shedeur Sanders
