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Chargers rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauls in first NFL touchdown during Hall of Fame Game

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax08/01/25BarkleyTruax
Lambert-Smith
© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A first impression means everything, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith is making the most of his first NFL preseason game. During the second quarter, Los Angeles Chargers QB Trey Lance found the rookie out of Auburn for a 15-yard touchdown connection.

The Chargers fifth-round draft choice broke free from the Detroit Lions’ defender on a simple slant route. Lance found him quick and the former Auburn wideout made the play. Watch the Lambert-Smith’s first NFL touchdown reception below:

It was his second reception in the first half, with the first coming on a 24-yard catch that Lance dropped between a couple of Detroit Lions defenders. Those two receptions have him at 43 yards and one touchdown at halftime of his first NFL performance.

The Chargers led 21-7 over the Lions at halftime. Lance looked like the quarterback who the San Francisco 49ers drafted with the 3rd overall pick in 2021’s NFL Draft. He finished the first half having completed 9 of his 12 passing attempts for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He found TE Will Dissly in the end zone to kick off Thursday’s annual preseason event.

Detroit’s lone touchdown in the first half came after the Lions spent nearly all of the first 20 minutes of the game scoreless. RB Craig Williams, who is now in his seventh NFL season and fifth with the Lions.

The first half is a promising start for Lambert-Smith, who has the MVP of the first half aside from Lance. Of course, the Chargers saw something they liked in the rookie after selecting him in the fifth round, No. 158 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Lambert-Smith spent the final season of his career at Auburn after four years at Penn State. It was a great decision on his part; he put together his most productive season with the Tigers. In 2024, KeAndre Lambert-Smith recorded 50 catches for 981 yards and eight touchdowns. The latter two statistics were both career highs.

In total, across five years in college, Lambert-Smith notched 176 catches for 2,702 yards and 19 scores. That put him among the most productive receivers in this year’s draft class — and it appears he’s off to a fast start in his first NFL game.

Lambert-Smith will hope to have his production carry over through the rest of the preseason and into his rookie season in the NFL. The Chargers kick off the season in a special way on Friday, Sept. 5 when the Chargers take on the Kansas City Chiefs inside Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil.