Rookies Tre Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith as advertised, but coming along slowly at OTAs

Rookie wideouts Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith are purposely being brought along slowly as they work up to the proper fitness level, per position coach Sanjay Lal.

Chargers wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal was one of the handful of players/coaches to speak with the media following Tuesday’s OTA session. Questions from the media ranged across the entire position group, but the most notable nugget of information we got from Lal was in regards to the team’s two drafted receivers, second-rounder Tre Harris and fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

When asked about his first-year players, Lal told reporters that they are “bringing them along slowly” because “they’re behind physically.” However, that’s not necessarily due to any fault of their own. Both Harris and Lambert-Smith, like most other draft hopefuls, were put through a gambit of trips and interviews leading up to the draft. That unsurprisingly took a toll on their readiness for fieldwork and snatched a lot of training time away from them. Lal understands that, but he noted the two are still showing the skills the staff loved from their film.

“I have seen the skill sets that we drafted,” said Lal. “Those are showing up. Just got to get them more in shape.”

I don’t think any of this is worth putting much weight in, in all honesty. Harris’ pedigree as a second-round pick likely means he’ll play plenty as a rookie. It’s Lambert-Smith that wouldn’t surprise me if he was seldom-used in his first season, mainly due to the increased number of bodies the team now has at receiver on top of playing in a run-first offense.

Still, I wouldn’t bet against both eventually becoming productive players within their expected roles (Harris a WR2 and KLS as a WR3 or 4). Harris posted 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games while dominating the SEC before succumbing to injury during the 2024 season. Lambert-Smith also led his SEC squad (Auburn) in receiving yards and touchdowns while playing in all 12 regular season games. While his numbers obviously weren’t as gaudy as Harris’, KLS also balled out at the East-West Shrine Game, further proving his success wasn’t just within the framework of the Tigers offense.

Before leaving the podium, Lal also touched on Derius Davis’ development following a practice that saw the latter make his own splash play on an intermediate crossing route where he zoomed passed his defender.

“The more confident he gets, the more he’ll use his speed,” Lal said. “There’s so much untapped speed there.”

Davis has mainly been used a returner since joining the Chargers. As a rookie, he earned Second-Team All-Pro honors as a punt returner. In 2024, Davis caught the first two touchdowns of his career, posting career highs with 13 receptions for 112 yards.