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Turron Davenport
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel shot back at doubters who said he can’t play in the NFL because of his height.
Gabriel, listed at 5-foot-11, is looking to join Kyler Murray, Bryce Young and Russell Wilson among the only starting quarterbacks who are under 6 feet tall.
“I’ve had the most experience ever, as you can imagine, starting in high school as a freshman all the way into my senior year on varsity, and then I’ve done the same thing in college,” Gabriel said at the NFL scouting combine Friday. “I’m a leader. I’m a winner. I’ve won at all three spots, and I’ve done it in big games.”
Gabriel was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Young and Murray won the award in their final seasons. Having spent six seasons in college with stops at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon, Gabriel said he feels he has learned a lot about football. But he added that he’s still learning.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid has Gabriel as his fourth-ranked quarterback and projects him to be a Day 2 pick. Gabriel met with multiple teams, most notably the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
“I want teams to believe I can go out there and win games,” Gabriel said. “If a team wants a winner, a franchise leader, they know who to call.”