Oronde Gadsden II, WR Syracuse: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Gadsden was a three-star wide receiver recruit from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. in the class of 2021

Syracuse pass catcher Oronde Gadsden II was an All-ACC tight end in 2022. We’ll see if he plays more of a typical slot receiver role this coming season. Gadsden could be an early fourth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, depending on what role he tries to play during the pre-draft process.

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Oronde Gadsden II, WR Syracuse: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior tight end - slot receiver hybrid from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Background: Gadsden was a three-star wide receiver recruit from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 1,016 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 928 for On3.com. Gadsden was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He amassed 37 receptions for 608 yards and 13 touchdowns over his final two high school seasons. Gadsden won two state championships in Florida and was a high school team captain in 2020. He also ran track. Gadsden switched from wide receiver to tight end before the 2022 season and shattered Syracuse's single-season receptions and receiving yards records for tight ends. He also led the position nationally in receiving yards. Gadsden’s father, Oronde Gadsden I, played college football at Winston-Salem State and saw action in six NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, ending his career with 227 receptions for 3,252 yards and 22 touchdowns. The younger Gadsden was born on June 25, 2003, in Miramar, Fla.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed four games in 2021 with an injury

Awards: 2022 First Team All-ACC (Tight End)

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units, alters tempo during routes to lull defenders to sleep, varies stride length, uses long strides to widen defenders before bouncing back inside, throws shoulder and head fakes, his mid-route footwork shows his background as a receiver, long strides to pull away from defenders during the route, shows the QB his chest and provides a friendly target, excels at finding holes in zone between the defense’s second and third levels, weapon on back shoulder fades, height and arm length expand his catch radius, uses his body to block defenders out at the catch point, makes good adjustments to the ball, comfortable going to the ground or skying for catches, makes hands catches outside his frame, above-average performer in contested catch situations, strong hands to hold onto contested catches, uses nifty footwork and altered tempo to freeze defenders and generate YAC, loves using a hesitation move and stutter steps to create YAC, plants foot in the ground to make sharp cuts or change momentum quickly, arm length gives him some fangs as a blocker vs. DBs

Cons: Pulled off special teams duties in 2022, four drops and three penalties in 2022, enters 2023 with one season of production, positional tweener who leans toward wide receiver, won’t take in-line snaps at the next level, high-hipped, some false steps in release, doesn’t sink hips at the top of the stem, routes tend to be more rounded than sharp, whip route is too high and slow to fool defenders, lacks burst off the line, lacks speed to threaten defenses vertically, speed doesn’t generate separation, average to below average speed and agility, body catches pop up every now and then, limited YAC upside, rarely makes defenders miss in space, lacks elite agility and open field elusiveness, doesn’t break many tackles with power, frames blocks poorly, seems hesitant as a lead blocker, takes more punishment than he dishes out

Overview: Syracuse mostly pulled Gadsden off the special teams units in 2022, but he gained experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units as a freshman. Syracuse listed Gadsden as a tight end in 2022, but that’s not the role he really plays. The junior is much more of a big slot receiver. He occasionally gets reps at H-back, but he takes more snaps lined up out wide than in-line. Gadsden won’t take in-line snaps in the NFL because he lacks the experience and blocking capacity to fulfill the role. Instead, he’ll serve as a mismatch creator in the slot. He uses a variety of savvy tricks to generate space as a route runner. The former three-star recruit alters his tempo during routes to lull defenders to sleep. He also varies his stride length, throws shoulder and head fakes, and uses stutter and hesitation moves. Gadsden recognizes opportunities to widen defenders, opening space for him to run into on inside routes. His mid-route footwork is impressive. The Florida native doesn’t generate much separation with his natural speed and agility, so he relies heavily on his footwork, large frame, and understanding of spacing. Gadsden excels at finding holes in zone coverage between the defense’s second and third levels. He frequently presents his quarterback with a friendly target and is a weapon on back shoulder fades. Gadsden’s height and arm length expand his catch radius. He uses his body to block defenders out at the catch point and makes good adjustments to the ball. Gadsden has strong hands to haul in catches while high pointing the ball or diving to the ground. He occasionally falls back on body catches but mostly relies on his hands to meet the ball outside his frame. Gadsden offers limited upside after the catch, but his hesitation and stutter moves sometimes create extra yards. The All-ACC selection is high-hipped. He lacks the power to break tackles and doesn’t have the agility to make defenders miss. Gadsden rounds his routes and doesn’t sink his hips at the top of the stem. His release suffers from false steps. He doesn’t threaten defenses vertically and lacks burst off the line. Gadsden frames blocks poorly and takes more punishment than he dishes out in the run and screen game.

Overall, Gadsden succeeds with route running savvy, ball skills, impressive body control, and his understanding of spacing and leverage, but he lacks the high-end athletic traits NFL teams search for in a typical receiver. Gadsden projects as a “big slot” at the next level.

Role & Scheme Fit: Mismatch creator in the slot

Round Projection: Late Third to Mid Fourth

Size: 6'5", 216 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 05-08-23