NFL Poll Shows League is Very Aware Oronde Gadsden II is a Rising Star for Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers under general manager Joe Hortiz have found significant value in the draft and specifically in the fifth round. The Chargers drafted Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart in the fifth round in 2024 and struck gold again in the fifth round of the 2025 draft with Oronde Gadsden II.
Gadsden gave the Chargers a stellar rookie season and will look to build off of a hot start to his career with the new wide-zone heavy offense, that will utilize multiple tight end sets and the quick passing game. The Chargers know what Gadsden is capable of and have high hopes and it seems he did get noticed around the NFL.
Every off-season ESPN polls NFL front office executives, scouts and coaches from around the NFL for top ten positional rankings. To date, ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler has released the rankings for running backs, cornerbacks, edge rushers, defensive tackles and finally tight ends.
Oronde Gadsden did not make the top ten list this go around after his rookie season, but he did receive votes. In receiving votes, not only is it an honor following his rookie season to be mentioned amongst the top ten players at his position in the NFL, he surprisingly is the first Chargers player to be featured or mentioned on the lists that have been publicly released.
Star is rising for Oronde Gadsden
Joe Hortiz and the Los Angeles Chargers traded up in the 2025 draft to make sure to land Oronde Gadsden. The Chargers 2025 draft class leaned heavily into getting more offensive weapons and they made sure to get their guy who had slipped to the fifth round.
Gadsden was viewed as a pass-catching developmental tight end coming out of Syracuse who had only recently converted from wide receiver to tight end. It took a few weeks for Gadsden to finally get an opportunity on the active roster with several veterans ahead of him.
Gadsden's true coming out party was a 164-yard Week 7 performance against the Indianapolis Colts. Defenses began paying attention to him when he was on the field. The extra attention he received slowed his production towards the end of the season.
Gadsden finished with 694 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie who did not play until week three. His 694 yards was good enough for tenth in the NFL among tight ends, finishing just ahead of Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid.
2026 outlook
The Chargers' hiring of new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel may help Gadsden take a step forward in production despite Los Angeles bringing in free agents Charlie Kolar and David Njoku to join Gadsden in the tight end room. Mike McDaniel may be borrowing from Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams and planning to feature 13 personnel with all three tight ends on the field at the same time.
The biggest difference in the offense that will likely affect Gadsden is the introduction to significantly more quick game. In 2025, Gadsden was a field stretcher up the seams and he will likely continue that target share. As Mike McDaniel schemes up ways to get the ball out of Justin Herbert's hand quickly to increase yards after the catch opportunities, that will also increase the targets closer to the line of scrimmage, potentially leading to more targets for the tight ends given they are closer to the quarterback by default.
Oronde Gadsden II is already being noticed around the NFL. Him simply receiving votes to land on a top ten list speaks to how well he played his rookie year and his potential. He will be competing for targets in a new offense but the offense will still give him plenty of opportunities along with the chance to learn and hone his craft with veteran David Njoku in the room as well as Charlie Kolar, who took a massive leap as blocker from college to his current elite blocking status. Gadsden has a chance to keep rising with a follow-up to his rookie campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as NFL Poll Shows League is Very Aware Oronde Gadsden II is a Rising Star for Chargers.
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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM.