Auburn Daily

Former Auburn Football Stars Fall on Wrong Side of CBS Sports Rookie List

The Auburn Tigers alum haven't played to the level some were hoping they would after being drafted into the NFL
Dre Gaines|
Former Auburn players haven't had it good so far in the NFL
Former Auburn players haven't had it good so far in the NFL | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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AUBURN, Ala.- CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards recently compiled a list of NFL rookies who have ‘hit or missed’ in the NFL thus far into the season. Unfortunately, two former Auburn Tigers made this list as the most disappointing rookies for their respective teams. 

Former Auburn Tigers Jarquez Hunter and KeAndre Lambert-Smith have not been performing nearly at all in the NFL, despite both of them excelling at a high level at Auburn. Currently, both players are buried on their respective depth charts.

Lambert-Smith was often the explosive playmaker for the Tigers, averaging 19.6 yards per reception. Arguably, his most memorable play came from Auburn’s 43-41 upset over the Texas A&M Aggies in four overtimes last season. Lambert-Smith hauled in what ended up being the game-winning two-point conversion in the fourth overtime period. 

Lambert-Smith compiled 981 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his lone season on the Plains. He played four seasons at Penn State, where he never eclipsed more than 700 receiving yards in a season. 

Lambert-Smith was selected in the fifth round with the 158th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. In the preseason, Lambert-Smith had four receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown, showing glimpses of what he could be in the NFL. 

However, for Lambert-Smith, he is buried in the depth chart and primarily plays special teams. He is sitting behind Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, Derius Davis, Quentin Johnston, and fellow rookie Tre Harris. Lambert-Smith only has one reception in the year for a single yard at wide receiver. 

“Lambert-Smith is the victim of others meeting or exceeding expectations,” Edwards wrote about Lambert-Smith. “He has not been involved in the offense despite generating a good amount of hype in training camp.”

Hunter spent all four years of his college career at Auburn. When it was all said and done, Hunter had 3,371 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in his time donning the orange and blue.  Despite finishing with 1,201 rushing yards and eight touchdowns his senior season, Hunter still has yet to have his first carry during the NFL regular season. 

Jarquez Hunter was drafted with the 117th overall pick in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams. Hunter is listed as the fourth running back on the depth chart, sitting behind Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, and Ronnie Rivers. 

In the preseason, Hunter led the team in rushing attempts. He carried the ball 26 times for 147 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and scored one touchdown. Since then, Hunter has not seen any game action.

The Rams running back room was already stacked before drafting Hunter, and was seemingly drafted as a depth piece, rather than a feature back for the Rams. 

“Los Angeles traded up for Hunter, but he has not seen any action due to the law firm of Corum and Williams,” Edwards wrote about Jarquez Hunter. 

Despite both players having a disappointing start to their careers, the Rams are sitting at 7-2, and the Chargers are 7-3. Perhaps both players will have opportunities to showcase their talents and move up on their respective depth charts in the near future.

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Dre Gaines
DRE GAINES

Dre is a veteran of the U.S. Navy from Riverside, California. He is a Journalism major with a specialty in Sports Production. He has experience in sports media content production with Eagle Eye including reporting as well as producing/directing.

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