Dillon Gabriel is working his way to the NFL Draft one day at a time. After six seasons of collegiate football, the former Oregon quarterback is ready for the next level and throughout the week leading up to the Reese's Senior Bowl, Gabriel proved his doubters wrong.
Gabriel led the National team down the field and threw a lateral to Oklahoma State running Ollie Gordon III who then threw a dime to a wideout in the end zone. After the touchdown, Gabriel connected with Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo for a successful two-point conversion.
We’ve got a #Big12FB trick play 👀
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) February 1, 2025
Ollie Gordon II finds Jayden Higgins for the first TD in Mobile!
📺: @SeniorBowl on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus
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After two drives, it looked like Gabriel's day at the Senior Bowl had come to an end and he spoke with Tom Pelissero on the sidelines.
“Ollie’s been doing that so it was fun to watch and then just coming down with it," Gabriel said. "We try to do our due-diligence, now we celebrate.”
Dillon Gabriel Reese's Senior Bowl stats
- 4 completions (66.7 percent)
- 28 passing yards
- 1 two-point conversion
Gabriel's experience and maturity are huge pluses in his Draft profile. However, his smaller stature has caused some concern despite having similar builds to legendary NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees and Russell Wilson.
“I feel like I wanna find someone that’s just the right fit, someone that doesn’t give a rip about that, and just wants a winner, wants a baller," Gabriel said about his size. "So, I think that’ll be perfect for me, finding the right fit in that way and good alignment so that we’re not talking about it.”
After six years at the collegiate level – playing for UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon – Gabriel holds the record for most-ever career games by a college football player, surpassing fellow Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.
“I think just playing a lot of football, a lot of experience, been a lot of places, and played a lot of different teams," Gabriel said. "You learn a lot about yourself throughout that process and how to find a way to win throughout all of that so it’s a big blessing and I’m excited to be here.”
Gabriel has spoken a lot about his experience playing for the three programs and even repped all three of them on his helmet – the Duck wings on one side, the Oklahoma "OU" on the other side, and the UCF stripe and logo along the top and back.
“It’s a blessing, you know, you never take any opportunity for granted that you get to step on this field so I made the most of it and definitely smiling,” Gabriel said.
Throughout the week, Gabriel impressed NFL scouts and analysts with his raw power and strength, not to mention how quickly he can assess the field in front of him and get the ball out of his hands, even with new targets down field.
“It’s been difficult at times but all positive in terms of getting around new people and learning new stories and all about them," Gabriel said. "But, you know, there are growing pains with that and we’ve just been having fun while doing it and this is an unknown time for a lot of us but trying to enjoy it all.”
Before the NFL Draft starts on April 24, Gabriel and his fellow Ducks will continue to put in work and show off their talents to try to further boost their Draft stock. Currently, Gabriel has been spending some time in California to continue practicing before the NFL Combine and Oregon's Pro Day.
“Grinding out in Huntington Beach with 3DQB and just gettin that work in. Got the Combine ahead and Pro Day," Gabriel said. "So, attacking that and then we’ll see where life takes us.”