
2025 NFL draft: Chargers pick WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith with No. 158 overall selection
2025 NFL draft: Chargers pick WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith with No. 158 overall selection
The Chargers selected former Auburn wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith with the No. 158 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
After adding Tre Harris in the second round, Los Angeles continued to bolster the wideout room by injecting it with a speed element with their fifth-round pick.
Lambert-Smith ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and that speed jumps off when watching him.
Lambert-Smith spent most of his collegiate career with Penn State, where he posted 1,721 yards and 11 touchdowns across 48 games.
In his only season at Auburn in 2024, Lambert amassed 50 catches for 981 yards (19.6 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns.

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USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Auburn basketball learns opponent for 2025 ACC-SEC challenge
Auburn basketball learns opponent for 2025 ACC-SEC challenge Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers will face a former SEC head coach in this year's edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge. The 2024 ACC-SEC Challenge was a huge success for the SEC, who posted a 14-2 record in the event. Auburn, unfortunately, was not on the winning side of last year's challenge, falling to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, 84-78. This year, the Tigers will aim for revenge in front of their home crowd as they will host the NC State Wolfpack at Neville Arena for this year's edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reports. This year's matchup is intriguing as it will pit Auburn's Bruce Pearl against former LSU head coach Will Wade, who is set to begin his first season as the Wolfpack's head coach after spending the last two seasons at McNeese State. Wade is set to take on the challenge of building NC State back into an ACC contender after the program recorded a 38-34 record, with a 14-26 mark in ACC play over the last two seasons under Kevin Keatts. Wade won 105 games in five seasons at LSU. Since arriving in Raleigh, Wade has worked tirelessly in his rebuilding efforts through the transfer portal by landing former North Carolina forward Ven-Allen Lubin, former Houston forward Terrance Arceneaux, and ex-Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams. He also landed the nation's No. 14 recruiting class with four-star guard Matt Able headlining the haul. Auburn basketball will nearly start from scratch with its roster following last season's Final Four run. Auburn signed key players, including Mississippi State forward Keshawn Murphy, the Big 12's leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, and a talented wing player in Elyjah Freeman this offseason. Pearl also landed a top-20 recruiting class that features two JUCO stars and a pair of four-stars from the high school ranks. This season's matchup with NC State has the makings of a classic. Here is a look at the complete lineup for this season's ACC-SEC Challenge. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__


New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
Denver Broncos' Vance Joseph raising bar for top-ranked defense: ‘Let's start over again'
When the dust settled on Vance Joseph's second season as the defensive coordinator in Denver, the Broncos had set a record with 63 sacks. They finished first in defensive efficiency, according to TruMedia's expected points added metric. They boasted the NFL's defensive player of the year in cornerback Pat Surtain II and two other All-Pro selections in outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive end Zach Allen. Advertisement However, the victory lap for Joseph and the Broncos' braintrust was brief — if it existed at all. A 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs shoved the Broncos back to the drawing board. 'We watched every clip from last year, and once you watch it all, you get a clear idea of how teams attacked you,' Joseph said Wednesday during his lone meeting with the media before training camp. 'It was obvious. I won't share that, but it was obvious how teams attacked us. You have to go to work to try to prevent some of that stuff. That's what you do in the offseason, and that's every year. You have to change and adjust.' Another day of minicamp in the 📚 — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 11, 2025 What followed was an offseason of major additions for an already talented defense. The Broncos signed a pair of former San Francisco 49ers standouts in safety Talanoa Hufanga and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw. They then used their first-round pick on versatile defensive back Jahdae Barron, who was coached by Joseph's cousin, Terry Joseph, for three seasons at Texas. The additions provided a window into how the Broncos viewed their shortcomings last season defensively. Despite Surtain's lockdown brilliance, the Broncos had too many breakdowns in the secondary, particularly during late-season losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. They struggled at times to cover running backs. Denver opponents produced a 122.1 passer rating when targeting the position last season. Only the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans yielded a higher opponent rating. Hufanga and Greenlaw — physical, experienced players brought in to fortify the spine of the defense — are expected to help with those issues. But the addition of those players goes beyond the schematic adjustments the Broncos are trying to make. Joseph noted that Denver still has a relatively young defense. The playoff game in Buffalo was the first taste of the postseason for the bulk of Denver's defensive starters, and it showed. Hufanga and Greenlaw, meanwhile, have played in 17 combined playoff games. Greenlaw has played in two Super Bowls. Advertisement 'Both guys bring experience of being in big games and being on dominant defenses,' Joseph said. 'That's an attitude in practice and in meetings every day. You see it with those guys. Those guys love football. To add them to our mix has been tremendous. We're looking forward to the fall.' Greenlaw has not participated in the on-field portion of Denver's offseason program, which concludes Thursday with the final practice of mandatory minicamp. He suffered a quad injury while training on his own before the NFL Draft and is expected to be cleared for team activity by the time training camp begins. In the meantime, Greenlaw has been a constant presence on the sidelines at practices and in meetings. Hufanga, who intercepted Broncos quarterback Bo Nix at the end of last week's OTA practice attended by the media, has been part of a new soundtrack for Denver's defense. He has provided a vocal presence in the back end of the defense that has already been apparent. 'You are going to see how special they are,' said nose tackle D.J. Jones, who played with both players in San Francisco before signing with the Broncos in 2022. 'You're going to see why they brought them here.' First look at @TalanoaHufanga 👀 — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 29, 2025 The additions of Greenlaw, Hufanga and Barron, whom Joseph called a 'can't-miss prospect for us,' have helped create massive expectations for a defense that was one of the league's best last season. There is a certain microscope on a unit that is suddenly loaded with top-level talent. But head coach Sean Payton provided a reminder about the calendar on Tuesday. The Broncos, he said, 'have a chance to be a real good defense,' but this is a different group that is still in the building stages. Joseph has conveyed the same message. Advertisement 'We had a great defense. That was last year,' Joseph said. 'This year is totally different. My entire sell this entire offseason has been, 'Let's start over again. Let's keep improving.' Last year counts, but it doesn't matter moving forward. We have to continue to improve.' Here are some other takeaways from sessions with the Broncos coordinators and their newest player, running back JK Dobbins: Payton answered questions about Dobbins after a third straight practice. The running back officially signed a one-year deal with the Broncos after initially visiting the team's headquarters last week. On Wednesday, it was time to hear from the man himself about his decision to join the Broncos nearly four months after his free-agent process began. 'It felt amazing,' Dobbins said about his first day as a member of the Broncos, which mostly included work on a side field as he got acclimated to his new surroundings. 'It's a true blessing to me. I'm so happy to be here. We're going to do some great things this year.' Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns during his lone season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, a breakout that came after he missed all but nine games across the previous three seasons due to multiple significant injuries. The Chargers placed a seldom-used unrestricted free agent tender on Dobbins in April, which would have given them exclusive negotiating rights with Dobbins had he not joined a team by the start of training camp. That made for a unique free agency as Dobbins weighed his options before and after the draft, one Dobbins called 'stressful' at times. With a smile plastered to his face following his first Broncos practice, it was clear Dobbins was glad to have the process behind him. 'I'm a pretty patient person, and I was just feeling it out,' he said. '(I was) letting everything play out how it's supposed to be. It was a little stressful with some things that happened in there, but I knew I was going to get to where I needed to be. I am where I need to be.' JK Dobbins: 'It's a true blessing. I'm so glad to be here. We're going to do some great things this year.' — Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) June 11, 2025 Payton has made it clear there is not yet a defined pecking order in Denver's backfield, which also includes rookie second-round pick RJ Harvey and returning players Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé and Tyler Badie. 'Don't try to figure out the club right now,' Payton said. 'It's way too early.' But Dobbins, who has been in the NFL since joining the Baltimore Ravens as a second-round pick in 2020, brings an experienced veteran presence the Broncos didn't have in the room. That was an important part of the equation for Denver as it works to find the right mix at a position that must be more productive in 2025. Advertisement 'That is a guy who's had a lot of success in his career,' offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. 'It's someone we've always had a lot of respect for. It adds talent and competition to that room. Obviously, he's been a very productive runner and he's a good pass protector. I think it will help the competition in that room and help the team.' Darren Rizzi hoped to be named the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints after serving as the team's interim coach for the second half of the 2024 season. The job went instead to Kellen Moore, leaving Rizzi in search of the next opportunity. Not that there was a lot of suspense about where the veteran coach would end up. With Payton having an opening for a special teams coordinator after firing Ben Kotwica, a reunion with Rizzi, who previously served the same role for Payton in New Orleans, was not a challenging dot to connect. 'I just think it was an easy match,' Rizzi said Wednesday. 'Obviously, having worked for Sean for three years and having been under him and learned, we're on the same page with a lot of things. He mentioned the word compatibility. I would say the three years I was with Sean, it was definitely that. Even when, obviously, he left the Saints, he still had a big stamp on that organization, so we continued to do a lot of the same things that he did when he was there. Just familiar with the coach, familiar with the person. We always got along great off the field as well, so for me it was an easy choice.' Rizzi has already had a noticeable imprint on the Broncos. Denver signed two potential special teams stalwarts during free agency in wide receiver Trent Sherfield Jr. and safety Sam Franklin. The Broncos used their fourth-round pick on Que Robinson, an outside linebacker who was a prolific special teams player at Alabama. They were also the only team to draft a punter, using their sixth-round selection on Florida's Jeremy Crawshaw, who has already made a strong impression on his new coach. 'Here's a guy that came from Australia, went to an SEC school, a top-level college program, had a ton of success,' Rizzi said. 'His maturity level, he's kind of beyond his years. When we were kind of evaluating all the punters in this draft, his name came up. I really feel like his intangibles, his off-the-field stuff, was A-plus. Now, his talent level is tremendous as well. I really believe that at that position, at a specialist position, your demeanor might be just as important as your ability because it's a one-play-and-done (job). You have to have the mentality of kind of a batter in baseball, if you will, or a golfer. You have to go on to the next swing. I really like his level-headedness.'


USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN analyst has questions about former Oklahoma QBs heading into 2025
ESPN analyst has questions about former Oklahoma QBs heading into 2025 The Oklahoma Sooners could see up to six former quarterbacks who suited up in crimson and cream start games in the NFL in the 2025 season. That's an almost unheard of statistic, one that illustrates how good OU has been at football's most valuable position over the last decade (and well, well before that). Although only three of the six finished their careers in Norman, there's no doubt who the title of "QBU" belongs to. Heading into the 2025 season, every team in the league has some kind of question at the quarterback position. ESPN NFL analyst Dan Graziano attempted to identify the biggest question for each of the 32 QB situations ahead of the fall. We'll just be focusing on the three players who were officially drafted from Oklahoma. That's because Browns QB Dillon Gabriel was drafted from Oregon, Bears QB Caleb Williams was drafted from USC, and Saints QB Spencer Rattler was drafted from South Carolina. Up first is Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. He's coming off of leading Philly to a Super Bowl LIX victory and a Super Bowl MVP award. He bounced back nicely after a down year in 2023 that followed a deep playoff run in 2022. Heading into Year 6, Hurts has yet another new play-caller on the offensive side of the ball. How will the Eagles' annual coordinator change affect Jalen Hurts this time? The 2022 Eagles reached the Super Bowl with Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator, but then Steichen got hired to coach the Colts, and Hurts and the Philly offense regressed badly in 2023 under Brian Johnson. The Eagles brought in Kellen Moore last season, built one of the all-time great run games and won the Super Bowl as a result. But now Moore is coach of the Saints, and Kevin Patullo has been promoted to offensive coordinator. Underestimating Hurts is clearly a foolish endeavor at this point, but he and the team are surely hoping things go better than they did the last time they promoted from within to fill the coordinator spot. - Graziano, ESPN. Hurts has earned his place as one of the league's premier players, and his team still has plenty of pieces in place to make a run at back-to-back titles. Up next is Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. He was fully healthy last year after tearing his ACL late in the 2022 season and missing the bulk of 2023. The Cardinals are still rebuilding their roster in the post-Kliff Kingsbury era, but one of their most talented offensive players needs more touches in 2025. Murray heads into Year 7 looking make the postseason for the first time since 2021. Can the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection deliver on its first-round promise in Year 2? Harrison's rookie season was fine -- 62 catches, 885 yards and eight touchdowns. But as the fourth pick of the 2024 draft and given his college performance, he was supposed to take the NFL by storm right out of the gate. Instead, he was the No. 2 option in the Cardinals' passing game behind tight end Trey McBride. More is expected in Harrison's second season, and the same can be said of Murray in his seventh. Arizona made almost no changes on offense this offseason after finishing ninth in offensive EPA in 2024. The Cardinals beefed up on defense, hoping that will be enough to make them contenders. But Murray and the offense have to take a step forward if that's to happen, and a breakout for Harrison will help. - Graziano, ESPN. Murray was at his best with a No. 1 target in DeAndre Hopkins earlier in his career. If Harrison can become that in Arizona this season, the team could make a big jump toward a playoff spot in the NFC West. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield is looking to make it three straight division crowns and playoff appearances in his new home. Mayfield is already entering his eighth NFL season, but he's coming off of his two best years in the pros. He'll also have a new OC in Josh Grizzard, after Liam Coen left to coach the Jaguars. But Graziano wonders is Mayfield is underpaid in Tampa. Is Baker Mayfield underpaid? The three-year contract that Mayfield signed with the Bucs last offseason pays him $33.3 million per year. He has $30 million coming this season and $40 million in 2026, though none of the 2026 money is guaranteed. The deal is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but consider that the top of the QB market right now is $55 to $60 million per year. Consider also that no quarterback in the NFL has thrown more touchdown passes over the past two regular seasons than Mayfield (69). If Mayfield has another big season -- with a third different offensive coordinator in three years -- he could be in line for an even bigger contract extension next offseason. - Graziano, ESPN Mayfield has found his NFL home with the Bucs, and he has plenty of firepower around him on offense heading into 2025. If he can elevate his team again this year, a new contract may be in order. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.