Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
HEIGHT: 6’5″
WEIGHT: 236
POSITIVES
— Sturdy and strong upper body to fight through contact after the catch.
— Outstanding arm length/wingspan to extend his catch radius and QB’s throwing window.
— Alignment versatility to assist in creating mismatches in the passing game.
— Precise route-runner with an expanded route tree.
NEGATIVES
— Struggles at point of attack against traditional power edges.
— Average change-of-direction ability, which limits his creativity post-catch.
— Non-traditional TE; built like a big-bodied wide receiver.
NOTES
— Born June 25, 2003
— 3-star recruit in 2021 class, per 247Sports
— 2024 first-team All-ACC, AP third-team All-American
— 2023, played two games; suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury
— 2022 first-team All-ACC
OVERALL
Oronde Gadsden II is a big-bodied wide receiver who is playing tight end.
Gadsden is an athlete with linear speed to threaten defenses vertically. He creates mismatches as an F-tight end who will align all over the offensive formation. In the slot, he can bully or outmuscle smaller nickel corners on in-breaking routes. He will outrun linebackers and safeties on slot fades or up the seams.
Gadsden’s stature is a big advantage against most coverage defenders. He possesses the body control to make plays on the ball in flight, whether by high-pointing it or on back-shoulder fades. His experience playing full-time wide receiver enables him to be a chess piece and align anywhere and everywhere. To that point, he uses his upper-body strength to combat and beat corners in the contact window and stack them early out of press alignment.
Gadsden is a natural and aggressive hand-catcher. He uses his outstanding wingspan and length to fully extend at the catch point and snatch the ball out of the air. He rarely, if ever, traps the ball into his body.
Gadsden’s route-running ability is on display in the short and intermediate levels of the field. He has good foot quickness at the top of his stem to lose defenders who are playing off-coverage. Gadsden’s long legs eat up cushions quickly, with a good stride while finding open grass against both man and zone coverages.
His upper-body strength comes into play once he has possession of the ball. After the catch, Gadsden presents a tough and physical player to tackle one-on-one. His strength also enables him to make tough contested grabs in high-traffic or congested areas in the middle of the field. He appears to like contact and will deliver punishment on closing defenders.
Gadsden’s run-blocking is adequate, but he will struggle to sustain blocks against NFL power edges. His lower-body strength will be tested on zone and gap scheme concepts. He may be better suited to attacking angles of second-line and perimeter defenders. That issue could prevent him from playing traditional in-line tight end heavily.
Due to his height and body composition, Gadsden has slight rigidness in his hips when trying to sink and snap at the top of his routes against tight man coverage. He also doesn’t offer creativity and elusiveness after the catch in the open field. Finding the right playing weight will be a storyline to watch. Will an NFL coaching staff encourage him to add more weight/muscle in his lower half for blocking purposes, even if it comes at the expense of some agility and quickness?
In the NFL, Gadsden projects as a flex (F) tight end who will align all over the offense. He will play H-back, X, and the big/power-slot receiver role. Gadsden will create mismatches and give linebackers headaches in coverage, especially on deeper routes down the field. He should serve as a TE2 to create a strong duo, especially for an offense that desires to lean on 12 personnel (two tight end sets) with a good run game and play-action passing opportunities for chunk yardage.
GRADE: 7.10 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)
OVERALL RANK: 93
POSITION RANK: TE5
PRO COMPARISON: Shades of Darren Waller
Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.
