Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy raves about Dillon Gabriel, pins Miami Dolphins as potential NFL fit
Senior bowl director Jim Nagy believes Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel is flying under the radar among NFL Draft prospects. Gabriel has had an impressive start to the season, leading the Big 12 with 1,593 yards passing, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions as the Sooners are off to a 5-0 start.
Still, there’s not a lot of buzz about him among NFL scouts, perhaps due to an easy early schedule for OU. Gabriel has a chance to change that this Saturday when the Sooners take on No. 3 Texas and its talented defense in the Red River Rivalry game.
“He’s kind of the overlooked quarterback in this class right now,” Nagy told On3‘s Andy Staples. “You’re hearing nothing about him. But man, he’s playing really efficient football right now.”
Nagy has been particularly impressed with the Oklahoma quarterback’s efficiency and ability to throw on the run. Gabriel has shown he can make positive plays on the ground this season, as he also has 95 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
The Senior Bowl director compared Gabriel to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in that regard, noting not only the similarities in their games, but also their roots. Both players played high school football in Hawaii, where Gabriel went on to break the state’s all-time passing record — which Tagovailoa held — with 9,948 career yards.
“He can move and he can throw accurately on the move,” Nagy said of Gabriel. “I haven’t looked at the numbers from the past weekend, but going into the weekend, he was like 78% with 12 touchdowns and one pick. Playing really good football. It sounds like a cop out a little bit because I know he’s been compared to Tua since their days growing up in Hawaii. Lefty, Hawaiian kid who broke all Tua’s records. But really, when you watch him, there are some similarities there.”
Nagy went on to take it a step further, saying the Dolphins should be “dialed in” to how Gabriel plays on Saturday against Texas. He argued that because the two are such similar players, having Gabriel behind Tagovailoa would help the offense run more smoothly if an injury were to occur.
We saw that play out some last season, as Tagovailoa missed several games after being put in the NFL’s concussion protocol and could’ve used a player like Gabriel.
“Going back to my time scouting for the Seattle Seahawks, we tried forever to find a guy that kind of mirrored Russell Wilson’s skillset and we never could really find that guy,” Nagy said. “The Miami Dolphins have to be interested in (Gabriel). The worry when I was in Seattle was if Russ ever went down, and thank God he never did, we have Tarvaris Jackson. T-Jack was a really great player, but we would’ve had to change.
“So to me, if I’m the Dolphins, I’m really dialed into this game and how Dillon Gabriel’s playing. Because if he were on the roster and Tua, God forbid, went down, you could plug a guy in. Because what he does — get the ball out fast, get it out accurately, can move around a little bit — similar guys. …Right now, Dillon Gabriel projects as a backup level player and what better fit than Miami?”
For now, Dillon Gabriel will hope to continue to gain the attention of NFL scouts with his play, especially when the Sooners kick off against Texas at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Dallas.
Nagy highlights ‘NFL guys’ on Texas defense
Gabriel will have a tough task against the Longhorns defense, however. Texas enters this contest ranked 13th in the country in points allowed per game (12.8) as well as 22nd in yards allowed per play (4.7).
Nagy highlighted a couple of seniors on the defensive line in T’Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins who could spell trouble for the Sooners QB.
“Texas has a bunch of guys,” he said. “They’ve got the two D-tackles up front, T’Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins. They’re different players. Very different. So if you’re a guard or a center preparing for those two guys, it’s a different challenge. Sweat’s all power. He’s just gonna come right down the middle and bull rush you. Collins gives you a little bit more. He’s longer, too.”
Elsewhere on the defense, Gabriel will have to watch out for linebacker Jaylan Ford and cornerback Jahdae Barron. The pair have so far combined for 52 tackles and three interceptions on the season, so Gabriel will want to stay wary about throwing in their direction.
“Then you got a playmaker in Jaylan Ford,” Nagy said. “You’ve got Jahdae Barron at nickel. You’ve got a bunch of different guys at safety. They’ve got NFL guys all over that defense, so it’s gonna be a good matchup.”