Cleveland selected Gabriel in the third round following his stellar lone season with the Oregon Ducks, one which saw him throw for a career-high 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading Oregon to a Big Ten title and the top seed in the College Football Playoff.

They rattled the NFL world by selecting Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) in the third round with the No. 94 pick, their last of four picks on Day 2. In a draft in which they had numerous chances to take Shedeur Sanders — who was still surprisingly on the board at end of Round 3 — they completely reversed field.