After a long wait, the Orange finally had a star selected in the NFL Draft. Tight end Oronde Gadsden is a Los Angeles Charger after being picked in the fifth round with the 165th pick.
The wait for an Orange player to be selected was a little longer than many people expected, but at the end of the day, it’s the player who has the most NFL potential to get picked.
Gadsden leaves behind a gaping hole in Syracuse’s offense after what’s easy to argue as one of the best tight ends in SU history. He finished his career with the most receptions and the most receiving yards for a tight end in Syracuse history.
While he didn’t have as many eye-popping games in his most recent season, he still had over 900 receiving yards, good for third on the team behind Jackson Meeks and Trebor Pena. When you consider he’s a tight end, not a receiver, it makes it even more impressive.
While it’s of course sad to see him go, Gadsden ends up in a great position to get quality snap numbers with Los Angeles.
The current depth chart on the Chargers team website shows only Will Dissly as an available tight end. The eight-year veteran is in the middle season of a three-year contract, putting up 50 catches for 481 yards. Ok numbers, but nothing special.
That leaves an opening for Gadsden to make an impact as a rookie receiver. Of course, the skill jump from the NCAA to the NFL is no joke. But it’s no doubt a good situation that Gadsden enters. His quarterback, Justin Herbert, was top 10 in the league for yards last year. And who wouldn’t want to play under Jim Harbaugh?
A budding quarterback. A genius coach. And now an up-and-coming tight end.
