Oronde Gadsden II burst onto the NFL scene with some explosive playmaking ability he flashed as a rookie. He ended the year with 664 yards and three touchdowns on 49 receptions, all marks finishing the year good for fourth on the Chargers. Gadsden’s Week Five performance against the Colts was also historic as he caught seven passes for 164 yards and a touchdown, becoming the record holder for yards in a game by a Chargers rookie tight end and notching the fourth-highest single-game total by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
Gadsden’s yardage was also the sixth-highest total for a rookie in 2025, despite playing a full game or two less than the other five above him.
His performance certainly got the attention of scouts and execs around the league as Gadsden was one of the players selected to the “received votes” section of ESPN’s latest rankings for the tight end position. Again, the votes were gathered anonymously by scouts, executives, and coaches from around the league, so you know these opinions are unfiltered, too.
Altogether, the top 10 players and the six honorable mentions are technically ranked above Gadsden. Those players include fellow rookies Tyler Warren (No. 5), Colston Loveland (No. 7), and Harold Fannin (honorable mention).
The thing is, those players were not much better than Gadsden in terms of efficiency with their snaps.
Per Pro Football Focus, Gadsden saw 30+ less targets than each of those three players and had fairly close numbers. Extrapolate his stats and you’ve got some serious potential on paper for Gadsden as he grows as the Chargers’ starter of the future.
It’s unfortunate Gadsden did not get more votes to warrant an honorable mention look, but I’ll take any sort’ve acknowledgement from those around the league after the complete snub job put on Tuli Tuipulotu earlier this week.
