Fifth-round pick Oronde Gadsden II was not necessarily thought of to be a deeply integral part of the LA Chargers this year. Sure, Jim Harbaugh did hype up the Gadsden selection after the Bolts traded up to pick him on day three. But it's particularly rare to see a late-round rookie tight end get overly involved in any team's offense.
During OTAs and minicamp, it became hard to ignore the tangible momentum for Gadsden. On the second day of minicamp with both the rookies and vets in attendance, he had seven catches. During the first day of minicamp, The Athletic's Daniel Popper wrote about QB Justin Herbert connecting with the Syracuse product on an explosive wheel route.