Rookie TE Oronde Gadsden II has been making his presence felt in the early stages of the Chargers' offseason program. From splash plays in practice to high praise of his work ethic from the coaching staff, there's reason to believe the former Syracuse TE is slightly ahead of schedule.
Like Jim Harbaugh last week, Chargers TEs coach Andy Bischoff had effusive praise of Gadsden's work ethic:
Chargers TEs coach Andy Bischoff on Oronde Gadsden II's blocking:
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) June 16, 2025
"I think he's better than we thought. His fundamentals are clean."
"He has a willingness. When we do a 1 man sled in the corner of the field, he's just as into it as Tucker Fisk."
Gadsden told Bischoff, "I want… pic.twitter.com/FiC6lSwknJ
"If he's got a real willingness, that's a positive," Bischoff said of Gadsden's attidude towards improving his blocking so far.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Bischoff's media availability was his response to question about what the Chargers saw in Gadsden during the draft process. One former Pro Bowler quickly came to the mind of the LA's TE coach.
Chargers TEs coach Andy Bischoff compares Oronde Gadsden II to Darren Waller
"I know it's a huge forecast, but I mean I was fortunate to coach Darren Waller," Bischoff started. "And Darren Waller was a receiver in college. And we turned him into a tight end. 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. And I think as he's become more comfortable in our system in the last four or five days, I think people are beginning to see that."
In one of my mock draft articles before the Chargers selected Gadsden, I wrote about Waller being the pass game positive upside comp for him. Waller is listed at 6'6" and 245 pounds. Gadsden is 6'5". At his media availability on Monday, the rookie tight end said he is now up to 250 pounds. That's up from 190 pounds from when he was first asked to convert to tight end.
Gadsden was one of four tight ends in the country who maintained high receiving production while taking on 100+ targets. Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, Tanner Koziol and Gadsden were the only four TEs in the country with a PFF receiving grade over 80+ while taking on that level of target volume.
Harbaugh told Gadsden when he was drafted that the staff had a specific role in mind for him. If he can assert himself in the pass game to the extent that Waller did with the Raiders, he could prove to be a homerun pick for Joe Hortiz and company.
The competition and reps will be there for Gadsden if he continues to make the most of his opportunities.