A photo of Dillon Gabriel circulating from Cleveland Browns practice is generating plenty of reactions — and for a very familiar reason.
The image shows Gabriel standing alongside rookie quarterback Taylen Green, and the height difference between the two is immediately apparent. Gabriel is listed at 5-foot-11. Green, the Browns’ sixth-round pick out of Arkansas, stands 6-foot-6. Browns fans were quick to pile on in the comments.
“Very nice of the Browns to bring in the local middle schoolers for practice!” one fan said.
“Height difference is WILD! Green built like a skyscraper next to Gabriel!” another added.
Gabriel’s height has been a recurring talking point since the pre-draft process. Browns general manager Andrew Berry acknowledged the concern, calling Gabriel’s lack of ideal size the “biggest negative” in his evaluation. However, Berry also emphasized that it never showed up on film throughout Gabriel’s decorated college career.
“[His height] hasn’t held him back in his career. You know, he’s been that height for a long time. He finds a way to get it done … There’s quarterbacks, different shapes and sizes,” Berry said. “You have to feel the pocket, you have to find throwing lanes, you have to change arm angles. All that comes innately, I think, to players based on how they’ve kind of played the game their whole life.”
Taylen Green is Unique Athlete at QB for Browns
Green, by contrast, is everything Gabriel is not from a size standpoint. He had a record-setting combine performance, posting a 43.5-inch vertical and running a 4.36 40-yard dash.
“I really don’t think there’s anybody like me. Not in a like cocky (way) or anything, just some confidence,” Green said during rookie camp. “There’s nobody that moves like me, that’s as tall as me.”
Head coach Todd Monken said after selecting Green that the Browns could find ways to deploy his physical tools.
“Certainly, when you have a player with those kinds of traits, when can you utilize those?” Monken said. “Obvious reasons — short yardage, goal line, four-minute, critical times when you’ve got to be able to run the ball.”
Dillon Gabriel Faces Uncertain Future With Browns
Gabriel and Green are expected to compete for the developmental spot on the depth chart. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders have split starting reps, with the Browns still undecided on their QB1.
Berry said the plan is to roll with four quarterbacks for training camp, as the team has typically done in recent seasons. However, Cleveland can’t keep all four passers on the active roster, leaving Gabriel in a precarious situation.
Unless he makes a compelling case to stick on the 53-man roster over Green and his athletic upside, it’s difficult to envision a path where he survives final cuts.
“I’m just running my own race and focusing on what I can control,” Gabriel said during veteran minicamp.
Gabriel went 1-5 in six starts last season after being selected in the third round. He threw for 937 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. While the numbers were efficient on paper, the offense rarely found a rhythm with Gabriel under center, and he often appeared reluctant to push the ball downfield.
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