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Syracuse tight end Oronde Gadsden II was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. With his selection, Gadsden becomes SU’s first pass-catcher to be drafted since Mike Williams in 2010. He’s also SU’s first player drafted under head coach Fran Brown and the program’s first selection since 2023, when Matthew Bergeron was a second-round pick and Garrett Williams was a third-round pick.

Across four years with the Orange, Gadsden became one of the most accomplished receivers in program history. He accumulated 14 touchdowns and two First Team All-ACC selections, setting career receptions (141) and receiving yards (1,970) records for Syracuse tight ends.

Gadsden came into SU as the No. 10 recruit and second-best wide receiver in its 2021 class, leaving Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for central New York. Four years later, Gadsden bulked up nearly 50 pounds and became one of the program’s all-time greats at tight end.

Following a two-touchdown day in SU’s Holiday Bowl victory over Washington State, Gadsden said he lived in California just 20 minutes down the road from quarterback Kyle McCord, allowing the two to train together. He participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine, recording a 34-inch vertical but not running the 40-yard dash.

A few weeks later, as his father, Oronde Gadsden, a six-year NFL wide receiver with the Miami Dolphins, looked on from the sideline, Gadsden showcased an impressive route tree from sideline toe-drags to deep balls through the heart of the field at SU’s Pro Day on March 17. Gadsden’s youth career as a receiver provides versatility as a larger slot receiver with outside speed rather than an inside bully.

“Those are the tight ends that they pay the most,” Gadsden said of his athleticism.

He purposefully toyed with his playing weight to showcase versatility for NFL teams, listing at 247 pounds at the East-West Shrine Bowl, 244 at the combine and 241 at SU’s Pro Day. In the Ensley Athletic Center at Syracuse’s Pro Day, he posted an unofficial 4.59 40-yard dash. Through his time with the Orange, he’s proven to show that versatility whether inside or outside.

He totaled just two receptions for 24 yards as a freshman in 2021. However, in 2022, he turned in one of the best seasons for a tight end in program history.

A signature moment began the season in the Orange’s third game, as Gadsden caught a last-second touchdown from Garrett Shrader to defeat Purdue. It capped a six-reception, 112-yard receiving day with two touchdowns.

In Syracuse’s upset victory over then-No. 15 NC State, Gadsden scored twice with a career-high 141 receiving yards and eight receptions. The sophomore phenom finished the year with 969 receiving yards and 61 receptions, establishing tight end program records for single-season receiving yards and receptions. He also earned First-Team All-ACC honors.

Set for a stellar junior year, Gadsden entered the campaign as a Preseason All-American but exited Syracuse’s second game with a lower-body injury. A Lisfranc injury put him out for the season and required surgery.

With Dino Babers on the way out, Gadsden decided between returning to the Orange or moving on to a different school.

“If you get a quarterback, I’m here. If you don’t, I’m out,” head coach Fran Brown said Gadsden told him.

Syracuse got McCord, and Gadsden stayed. In his redshirt junior year, he earned a spot on the AP’s All-American Third Team, Sports Illustrated’s Second-Team and the ACC’s First-Team.

Gadsden became a key target for McCord, totaling 934 receiving yards on 73 receptions while adding seven touchdowns. He notched 100 or more receiving yards five times while registering four-plus receptions in nine games.

Gadsden’s selection makes him just the second Syracuse pass-catcher in the last 20 years to be drafted. He’s the first tight end taken from the Orange since Roland Williams in 1998 and the fifth in the last 50 years.

Published on April 26, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky