With his scouting report, Syracuse’s hybrid wide receiver and tight end Oronde Gadsden II is one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s listed as a TE at Syracuse, but what will be his best spot at the professional level?
Oronde Gadsden II’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 223 pounds
- Position: Tight End/Wide Receiver
- School: Syracuse
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
The son of Oronde Gadsden — who played six years for the Miami Dolphins at the NFL level — the younger Gadsden could more accurately be labeled as “Oronde Gadsden 2.0”: Bigger and better, with mismatch-generating potential.
Interestingly enough, Gadsden didn’t enter the college circuit with that much fanfare. He was a three-star recruit from Miramar, Fla., who signed with Syracuse and joined the Orange as a WR. After a year as a reserve, he became a hybrid in 2022, and the move paid dividends.
In 2022, Gadsden was a first-team All-ACC performer, hauling in 61 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns. That season was expected to be a springboard to a 2023 campaign that would launch him to the NFL Draft — but a Lisfranc injury changed those plans.
Less than two games into the 2023 campaign, Gadsden suffered the injury, and he was knocked out for the rest of the year. He had surgery to input screws in his foot, and later he was shut down for the 2024 spring camp due to another procedure in which the screws were removed.
The hope is that it’ll all be smooth sailing on the medical front for Gadsden from this point on. A precarious and important 2024 season awaits, but if he can stay healthy, he has legitimate early-round aspirations.
Gadsden’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Sports a tall, lean, and streamlined frame with excellent length and decent mass.
- Functions as a mismatch who blends the line between WR and TE with his athleticism.
- Easy and energized accelerator with near-elite speed, burst, and bend at his size.
- Fluid and agile mover after the catch, who can swim past tacklers and surge upfield.
- Can use his hyperactive short-area agility to off-set defenders, then pry past and stack.
- Able to use tempo reductions to lull defenders, then swiftly accelerate into open zones.
- Has exceptional zone awareness, which he can use to stem and hinge around into space.
- Can use his bend and hinge flexibility to cut tight angles and separate on out routes.
- Rare size-adjusted separator who combines bend and burst with intentional motion.
- Natural receiver with an excellent sense of timing, coordination, and control at the catch.
- Has the body control and flexibility to make high-difficulty adjustments while composed.
- Proactive, authoritative catcher who can attack the ball with very little response time.
- Able to snare passes at the high point with tight, authoritative diamond-hand technique.
- Flashes adept RAC instincts and can use throttle modulations to work DBs off-balance.
- As a former WR, has the versatility to be used out wide, in the slot, and off motions.
Weaknesses
- Has more lean mass than bulk and isn’t an overwhelming presence at tight end.
- At times, comes out of his stance too far upright, limiting leg drive on acceleration.
- Experiences occasional lapses in coverage-angle awareness when working intermediate.
- Occasionally lets the ball too far into his frame on middle-of-field passes, risking drops.
- On occasion, resorts to pushes and shoves to gain late-snap separation, risking penalty.
- Lacks the high-end mass or low center of gravity to consistently drive through contact.
- Is at least a willing space blocker but is a below-average blocking presence for a TE.
- Has very little experience as an in-line blocker and does not translate well with frame.
- Profile will raise questions about being a “tweener”; may exist better as an NFL wideout.
- Doesn’t have the raw play strength to consistently sustain anchors and drive on blocks.
- Missed most of the 2023 season with a Lisfranc injury that required multiple surgeries.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Gadsden grades out as a fringe-top 100 prospect as a TE. As a WR, he grades well inside the top 100. He’s worth mid-to-late Day 2 capital, and if he can play at a high level with a clean bill of health in 2024, he could rise even higher.
At 6’5″, 223 pounds, Gadsden is a walking mismatch — the only question is where. Syracuse shifted his official position to TE ahead of the 2023 season, but he has much more experience at WR, as a hybrid slot, boundary presence, and motion man.
Gadsden could feasibly profile as a big-slot TE at the NFL level. With his combination of size and athleticism, he truly blends the lines between positions. He’s an adept route runner with size-defying fluidity and burst, and he’s one of the most instinctive catchers on the circuit.
SEE MORE: Top WRs in the 2025 NFL Draft | Top TEs in the 2025 NFL Draft
The complications in Gadsden’s projection to TE come from two things: his blocking ability, and his overall size and play strength. Gadsden has very little experience blocking in-line, and while he brings good effort as a blocker overall, he doesn’t show off the necessary strength to be an asset.
Gadsden might ultimately be a better WR at the NFL level. At that position, he’ll be able to hone in on areas of the game that are true strengths: separation, catch-point conversion, and RAC creation. As a WR, Gadsden could grow into an impact starter. As a TE, he may be limited on early downs — but he still has mismatch potential and high-level receiving value.
