Shedeur Sanders immediately overshadowed Dillon Gabriel for one crucial reason

As the Cleveland Browns began their first practice of rookie minicamp on Friday, quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel stepped onto the practice field at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus donning their orange helmets and jerseys for the first time.

Before either quarterback took their first snap, Sanders already appeared to have a noticeable advantage over his competitor. Gabriel has been overshadowed by the national attention surrounding Sanders, but he also found himself overshadowed in physical stature.

While the size difference between the two quarterbacks has already been well-documented, it appeared even more drastic with them standing side-by-side. Gabriel was measured at 5-foot-11⅛ and 205 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, while Sanders measured in at 6-foot-1½ and 212 pounds.

Dillon Gabriel looked much smaller than Shedeur Sanders at Browns rookie minicamp

Although Sanders isn’t necessarily known for his size, Gabriel would rank among the shortest active starting quarterbacks in the league. At 5-foot-10, Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray and Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young were the shortest starting quarterbacks last season. Russell Wilson was the only starting quarterback to stand at 5-foot-11.

Sanders has more impressive company at 6-foot-1. Those quarterbacks include Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts, San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield, Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams and Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa.

While Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, would typically draw the most attention from national media, the spotlight for this rookie class will be focused on the two rookie quarterbacks as they compete for positioning on a crowded depth chart.

Sanders was widely regarded as the second-best quarterback prospect in this year’s class, but he tumbled down the draft board before Cleveland selected him with the No. 144 overall pick. That free fall has created a fascinating dynamic for Cleveland: Gabriel was selected in the third round, but Sanders, their fifth-round pick, has drawn more excitement from fans and more attention for the media.

Regardless, Sanders and Gabriel will have a difficult road to the starting role in Cleveland. The Browns acquired fourth-year quarterback Kenny Pickett in a trade and signed veteran Joe Flacco in free agency. Deshaun Watson is also still with the team. 

The Browns are unlikely to carry more than three quarterbacks on their roster, and Watson’s contract may make it difficult to move on. That could leave Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders fighting for two available roster spots unless Watson starts the season on the injured reserve list.