Despite landing the top free agent quarterback available in Sam Darnold, the Seattle Seahawks taking a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft seems not only possible, but plausible.
It's abundantly clear that Darnold is a short-term option under center, and the Seahawks structured his deal in such a way that allows them to easily move on in a year or two. So, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if they draft a rookie quarterback and have him learn behind Darnold for a year or two.
ESPN's Matt Miller has them doing so just that in an interesting way, projecting them to take Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the first round at No. 172 overall.
Hailing from Hawaii, Gabriel spent six years in the collegiate ranks. He began his career at UCF in 2019, then transferred to Oklahoma in 2022, and finally transferred to Oregon in 2024.
In 64 collegiate games, the left-handed quarterback completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 18,522 yards, 155 touchdowns - the most of any player in FBS history - and 32 interceptions. He was a first-team All-American in 2024 after leading Oregon to a 13-0 regular season and a Big Ten title, though the Ducks lost the Rose Bowl in blowout fashion to eventual-champion Ohio State.
That all sounds good, but there are numerous reasons why Gabriel is seen as a Day 3 prospect.
First and foremost, he's 24 years old, so he'll be entering the NFL much later than some of his peers. He's also a shorter quarterback at 5-11, and his arm strength leaves something to be desired.
NFL Network's Lance Zierlein laid out all of Gabriel's strengths and weaknesses in his scouting report.
"Gabriel is an older and smaller QB prospect, but he offers a tremendous amount of game experience and productivity," Zierlein wrote. "He operates with poise and confidence from the pocket. His field vision is average, but he typically takes care of the football. He’s capable of playing within the confines of an offense and can create yards with his legs as needed. Gabriel’s accuracy and timing is accurate on shorter throws, but the placement becomes erratic when pushed outside of his comfortable range. He might require a ball-control passing game to help manage his lack of arm talent and keep him from throwing into closing windows.
"He’s an effective scrambler who is able to elude pressure and make plays outside of the pocket. Gabriel requires a very specific offensive fit, but he’s a gamer with enough good tape to have a chance to become a decent backup."
If the Seahawks do have interest in Gabriel, it likely wouldn't be as the future face of the franchise. If by chance he works out, though, then they could look like geniuses.
