The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the New England Patriots’ Joe Milton III held the previous record for fastest football throw at 62 mph during the NFL Combine. Dillon Gabriel shattered that record by throwing the ball at 74.9 mph at the Senior Bowl.
Dillon Gabriel Prepping for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Breaks Record
According to QB development coach Sean McEvoy, Gabriel’s number comes via Zebra Technology’s RFID chip in the football, which is a different process than the Combine’s measurements. Regardless, Gabriel’s 74.9 mph is higher than most would expect from him and highlights his arm talent.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl happens on Saturday, Feb. 1, as the best prospects who have completed their college eligibility are heading toward the NFL Draft.
Gabriel has showcased his talents all week, with Oregon beat reporter Jon Helmkamp saying, “I know I’m an outlier, but I believe Gabriel has a much higher ceiling than most draft pundits give him credit for.”
He believes Gabriel is following in the footsteps of Bo Nix, another seasoned college quarterback who stepped into the Denver Broncos’ lineup this season and had the best season by a Broncos rookie quarterback.
Nix led the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015. The last QB to do that for Denver was Payton Manning. Nix even surpassed rookie totals racked up by the likes of John Elway for passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and wins.
The laidback QB from Mililani, HI, has had question marks around his passing accuracy, height, and ability to find targets for passes over the offensive line in front of him.
Gabriel measured in at 6’0″ and 200 pounds, but dig a little deeper into his profile, and you realize one thing: the upside and potential areenormous.
In 2024 with Oregon, Gabriel broke the NCAA record for total career touchdowns (189) and became second on the all-time passing yards list (18,722).
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He led Oregon to their first-ever 13-0 season, including their first-ever Big Ten Championship win.
The Ducks lost the Rose Bowl to the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Gabriel was on fire in 2024, wracking up 3,857 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 149 rushing yards, and seven rushing scores.
Gabriel can make a huge difference as a quarterback at the NFL level. Do the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and the New York Giants become possible landing spots for him? We have only a few months to find out.
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