Chargers' hyped rookie already in danger of losing his NFL opportunity

The Los Angeles Chargers selected a pair of wide receivers in the NFL draft, bagging Tre Harris in the second round and taking KeAndre Lambert-Smith in Round 5.

The general consensus has been that both pass-catchers will have the opportunity to play pivotal roles in the Chargers' starving aerial attack in 2025, but Jason Reed of Bolt Beat has revealed a stunning prediction about Lambert-Smith: he might not make the roster.

Reed believes that Lambert-Smith will be battling for one of Los Angeles' final roster spots, which certainly comes as a surprise given how much primacy seemed to be placed upon him after the draft.

"Believe it or not, 2025 draft pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith is in a roster battle and is not guaranteed to make the 53-man roster after being drafted. The first five spots are completely locked up in the Chargers' WR room and Lambert-Smith is not one of them," Reed wrote.

This seems strange given how thin the Bolts' receiving corps is to begin with, but then you remember that Lambert-Smith was a Day 3 pick, and they are typically never guaranteed roster slots.

Lambert-Smith caught 50 passes for 981 yards and eight touchdowns at Auburn last season, averaging a very impressive 19.6 yards per carry. The Chargers could definitely use that big-play ability alongside of Ladd McConkey, especially with Quentin Johnston being so inconsistent.

At 6-foot-1, Lambert-Smith also has solid size for the position, which makes him a rather unique candidate. He began his collegiate career at Penn State and spent four decent campaigns with the Nittany Lions before transferring to Auburn after 2023.