Buzzy Start From Oronde Gadsden

What They're Saying

HC Jim Harbaugh: "Oronde Gadsden keeps flashing, keeps showing up. And they’re big plays, they’re chunk plays. ... We’re seeing that he can do everything that we’re hoping he can do in the receiving game. Pretty excited about him."

OC Greg Roman: "Oronde Gadsden is very mature. Really think he’s going to ascend quickly. He’s flashing some really good things and learning a lot along the way."

TEs coach Andy Bischoff: "I know it’s a huge, huge forecast, but I was fortunate to coach Darren Waller and Darren Waller was a receiver in college. We turned him into a TE. He’s got some of those traits. It’s way early. Way early, but he’s twitchy. He separates, he does some really good things in the pass game."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

The Waller comparison is particularly exciting. Gadsden is an inch shorter and five pounds heavier than Waller. But both guys are converted WRs with dangerous straight-line speed at TE.

Gadsden led Syracuse with 61 catches, 975 yards, and six TDs as a sophomore in 2022. His 2023 was wiped out by a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. But he returned last year to post a 73-934-7 receiving line. He averaged 12.8 yards per catch and had 16 grabs of 20+ yards.

In a TE room alongside Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin, Gadsden has a real chance to carve out a significant pass-catching role this season. We'd still shy away from picking him in best-ball drafts right now, but we'll be keeping a close eye on his progress in training camp.