Gabriel is Rooted to family route

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Young son, memory of late mother keep Patriots' Gabriel driven to succeed
FOXBOROUGH -- The uncertainty was gnawing at Doug Gabriel. It was April 2003 and his life was about to change forever. The NFL draft was looming and Gabriel's football future was on the line, but it was another event that was out of his usually sure hands that kept him awake at night.

"I wasn't even worried about the draft," said Gabriel. "I was worried about getting a healthy boy into this world."

Doug Gabriel Jr. was born April 22, 2003. Five days later, his father was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (No. 167 overall). Despite setting a University of Central Florida season record with 1,237 receiving yards on a team-high 75 catches, 18 wide receivers were selected before Gabriel. However, he didn't need that slight for motivation. It came from the newborn staring into his eyes
Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff