Dillon Gabriel put on a show for our Oregon football program in his last college football season, and now, he has been impressing scouts at the Senior Bowl ahead of the NFL Combine finishing off the month. Mr. FishDuck was interested in Gabriel’s NFL Draft status, and thus took a break from his fun studying FanDuel Sportsbook odds and NCAAF news to consider Dillon’s future in the NFL with me.
Now, we look ahead to how he and many other Ducks will size up in this year’s NFL Draft, as classmates Derrick Harmon, Tez Johnson, and Josh Conerly Jr. join Gabriel in what’s sure to be one of the all-time Oregon draft classes.

Gabriel strolls into the endzone vs the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor – Photo via Eric Becker
Dillon Gabriel’s Draft Ceiling: 3rd/4th Round
Given his age and arm, I think a backup role with a chance to earn the starting job is on Gabriel’s horizon. Getting picked as high as the third round might be a reach, but I could easily see a team falling in love with his demeanor in meetings, athleticism, and accuracy enough to take a bit more of a risk on Gabriel than any other signal caller. Of the most ideal landing spots, San Francisco seems like a great one if the 9ers are unable to come to a resolution with Brock Purdy’s contract negotiations, rumored at just under $200 million over four years. Barring a trade-up, most of the top talent would likely be off the board, and this team’s ready to win now. If Gabriel could slide to a roster like San Francisco, he’d be a fantastic successor to Purdy.
Staying on the West Coast, Pete Carroll has just returned to NFL coaching and taken over the Las Vegas Raiders (along with Chip Kelly, apparently), who’ve had awful quarterback play as of late. Of course, they’d likely go for a quarterback in the first round this year, taking Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, or another game-changer at third overall. However, if the player they want doesn’t make it to their slot, I could easily see them pairing up Abdul Carter with Max Crosby, and taking a Gabriel-type quarterback late.
On top of the Raiders being Gabriel’s team? He’d be the third Duck in the AFC West to be under center (or in shotgun, rather), joining Bo Nix and Justin Herbert to try and take down the perennial Super Bowl contender in Patrick Mahomes II.

Tez Johnson will look to join Dillon in the pros, projecting to go in the second or third round – Via Eric Becker
What Would This Mean for Oregon?
A whole heckin’ LOT. Having three quarterbacks starting in the same division would do wonders for recruiting, especially when a pair of players boosted their draft stock immensely after joining the Ducks. Regardless of where he lands, starting would be monumental for Oregon’s momentum. Future quarterbacks should be easy to land in the portal or through recruiting, and if Dante Moore follows suit, we can only expect more of the same success in years to come with our Ducks.
Additionally, Conerly, Tez, Burch, and Harmon have the potential to make a HUGE impact as early starters in the league, opening up the Ducks’ recruiting board. I’ve never been more excited to watch an NFL Draft featuring the Ducks, and I can’t wait to see Gabriel inevitably get a chance at the next level.
Where do you see Gabriel landing? Who else on Oregon are you excited to see get drafted, and what do you think Gabriel and co. will do for recruiting next year? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.
Go Ducks!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Eric Becker

Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.