"He's really small" - John Middlekauff rips Browns’ Dillon Gabriel pick as politically driven move to steer clear of Shedeur Sanders

The Cleveland Browns shocked the football world when they selected two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft. In the third round, the Browns picked former Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel. Then, in the fifth round, they drafted former Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders.

A few months after the selection process, NFL analyst John Middlekauff made clear that he is not sure whether Gabriel has what it takes to become a star QB, or even a starting QB in the NFL. The comments were made on the "3 And Out with John Middlekauff" podcast uploaded on YouTube on Saturday.

"He's [Dillon Gabriel] really small," Middlekauff said. "I mean, really small — 5-11, 205. I think he plays more like 190 pounds. He's not a big-time athlete, so he's not really running around. Unless your offensive line is the Eagles, you're going to be under siege in the NFL. And when you're small, you get crushed. And he does not have a great arm."

Citing how the 2025 NFL draft changed due to Sanders being overlooked by almost every franchise, Middlekauff highlighted how he does not think that Gabriel would have been a third-round pick if Sanders had already been selected.

"So I think if Shedeur Sanders did not exist in this draft or had been drafted, let's say, in the second round, I think the Browns would have just taken Gabriel in the fourth or fifth round," Middlekauff said. "I know a lot of people that thought there was a chance he was going to go undrafted."

Does Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders have the better odds to start for the Cleveland Browns in 2025?

The Cleveland Browns currently have four QBs competing for the QB1 role. At this time, veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are both on the roster and appear to be favorites to be the starter.

However, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has noted that each QB on the roster will have a fair chance to earn the starting role in training camp and the preseason this year.

According to Bet365, both Flacco and Pickett have better odds of starting the campaign as the starter of the franchise. Flacco has the best odds of +100 and is closely followed by Pickett at +200.

Meanwhile, of the two rookie QBs, Dillon Gabriel is the favorite to start over Sheduer Sanders. Gabriel has current odds of +500 to start, while Sanders has distant fourth-best odds of +850.

Cleveland Browns starting QB odds - Bet365