KeAndre Lambert-Smith might not be Jahan Dotson, and maybe he isn’t Parker Washington, but he quietly had a big impact on Penn State’s 2021 season.
All told, Lambert-Smith had a modest 31 receptions, but he got a lot of value out those catches. During Penn State’s 2021 season Lambert-Smith had a reception result in a first down on 17 different occasions or 54.8% of the time. Seven of those catches came on third down and five of those receptions occurred on third and seven or more yards to gain. (Lambert-Smith was also called for illegal touching on a completed pass on a third-and-five that would have gained 13 yards.)
So yea, talk about making your touches worth it. The question now is what happens in the presumed absence of Jahan Dotson moving forward.
“I feel like I can get better,” Lambert-Smith said Friday. “My playmaking ability with the ball in my hands. That’s the emphasis I’ve been putting on myself since high school, because I know I can run routes, I can make the catch, but I just want to be that difference maker with the ball in my hands.”
To Lambert-Smith’s credit of those 18 receptions that resulted in a first down, five of them were for more than 20 yards including an 83-yard catch, sprint and score against Villanova.
So how does one get better with the ball in their hands? By take a few tips from the guys whose entire job is making plays with the ball in their hands.
“Cone work,” Lambert-Smith said. “[meant] for running back. Work the body and hands and running and attacking different cones making different cuts, things like that.”
Receptions Resulting In A First Down By Lambert-Smith [31 total catches in 2021]
- 1st Down: Three receptions
- 2nd Down: Seven receptions
- 3rd Down: Seven receptions
While Dotson hasn’t declared for the NFL Draft as of Friday afternoon, the working assumption certainty is that the potential first round draft choice will make that decision known sooner rather than later. As a result it leaves a somewhat obvious void in Penn State’s offense as the Nittany Lions look to rebound from a 7-5 regular season in 2021.
Doing that will mean getting even more comfortable with presumed fourth-year starter Sean Clifford who returns for his sixth year at Penn State.
“He improved in a lot of different areas,” Clifford said on Friday. “He’s somebody who can make the big play and then he makes routine plays as well. He’s got big play mentality, he’s [somebody] who I have a lot of trust in.”
“KeAndre is one of those guys,” Penn State coach James Franklin added. “That we were all excited about when we were able to get him to come to Penn State and he has shown some flashes. I know he’s ready to take that next step and we need him to take that next step.”
Lambert-Smith is hopeful for the future, his career has had ups and downs, for every catch there is a top and for every Jahan Dotson there is someone waiting their turn in the wings, but that time appears near.
And that’s good news for Penn State, and even better for a lanky kid out of Virginia.
“Everybody’s time is different,” he said. “I feel like you can’t rush things. When I first got to college, that’s not how I expected to go. And I just realized everything’s not gonna go how you want in life, but a you got to keep going. And that’s what I’ve been sticking to – this process. And I’ve been putting in work and I know this will [pay off.]
