Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel has seen his NFL Draft stock skyrocket this season. Heading into the 2024 season, Gabriel was not high on many NFL Draft boards.
After leading the Oregon Ducks to a 13-0 record, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, and being a Heisman Trophy nominee, Gabriel has changed that narrative.
Where could Gabriel end up landing in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Dillon Gabriel’s NFL Draft Stock
Dillon Gabriel is currently viewed as a 2nd or 3rd day NFL pick. The draft can be unpredictable so it’s entirely possible Gabriel finishes up the season red hot and sneaks into the 1st round, but the general consensus has him being selected in the middle rounds.
Gabriel is in his 6th collegiate season and first with Oregon after transferring from Oklahoma this past offseason. The lefty has thrown for 3,558 yards ands 28 touchdowns while only throwing 6 interceptions. He also has a completion percentage of 73.2.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department named the San Francisco 49ers as a possible destination for Gabriel.
Dillon Gabriel to the 49ers?
The San Francisco 49ers have a massive decision looming this offseason. Will they break the bank for quarterback Brock Purdy?
Purdy and the 49ers have had a very disappointing 2024 season. They are all but eliminated from the playoffs with their 6-8 record. Purdy is reportedly seeking a contract worth up to $60 million a year. Purdy’s contract currently has him making less than $1 million due to him being a 7th round draft pick in 2022.
If San Francisco is hesitant to pay Purdy the big bucks, selecting a quarterback in the middle rounds of the draft would make sense. Dillon Gabriel, despite still being in college, is nearly the same age as Purdy, so they would hope he would be more ready to start immediately compared to other rookie quarterbacks. The 49ers still have a lot of elite players like George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, etc, but the clock is ticking on their window to compete for a championship.
It would be shocking to see 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan move on from Purdy after one down year. If anything, the 49ers could draft Gabriel and have him as the backup to Purdy next year.
If the question is who gives the 49ers the best chance to win next year, it would be hard to argue it isn’t Purdy. Would it be free agent Sam Darnold? Kirk Cousins? A rookie?
That’s for their front office and coaching staff to decide in the coming months.
The Case for Brock Purdy
Purdy was the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the 49ers. “Mr. Irrelevant” came into the 2022 season as the third string quarterback behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers had horrendous injury luck at the quarterback position in 2022. Lance and Garoppolo both had season ending injuries and Purdy had to take over late in the year.
Purdy stepped in and immediately started producing. The 49ers offense flipped a switch and didn’t lose a game until the NFC championship, where Purdy was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with an elbow injury.
Purdy rehabbed his elbow and came into the 2023 season as the 49ers starting quarterback. Purdy and the 49ers had an incredible 2023 season and fell just short of winning the Super Bowl, as they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime of Super Bowl 58. Purdy was in the running for MVP all year long.
2024 has been a disaster for the 49ers. Injuries to star players and blown leads have been a constant theme. Purdy has had his ups and downs and his status going into next year is now in question with the fanbase. Was 2024 just a one-off bad season for Purdy and will he be back to his 2022-2023 self next season?
