Penn State WRs notebook: KeAndre Lambert-Smith development, Malick Meiga progress and more
Penn State wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield used Jahan Dotson‘s career progression to make his point about KeAndre Lambert-Smith‘s developent.
Dotson, Stubblefield pointed out, was merely a contributor during his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions. He totaled 203 receiving yards as a true freshman and 488 yards as a sophomore before truly breaking out a year later.
“A lot of times, big-time recruits, they have high expectations, or they have expectations, or others have expectations,” Stubblefield said. “When you get to enroll into a college program there’s sometimes these expectations where you think you’re going to have that NFL career right off it — right from your first season.
“If you think about it, I think his numbers are right around where Jahan’s were as a sophomore.”
Indeed, Lambert-Smith is approaching Dotson’s sophomore year yardage total. Lambert-Smith currently sits at 419 through 10 games, with a pair of touchdowns to boot.
More important than any surface-level statistical analysis, though, is the fact that Stubblefield sees progress during his time at Penn State.
“It’s just consistent improvement,” Stubblefield said. “He’s done a good job, a much better job this year than last year, in terms of his mental toughness. He’s getting challenged. When you are a starter, you have more of a responsibility to be alignment and assignment sharp and to execute.
“For the most part he’s done a pretty good job this year. I think that there’s a few plays that we would like to have back. He is his toughest critic…I’m just excited to be part of his process and he’s gonna continue to get better.”
Penn State WR Malick Meiga’s progression
Malick Meiga’s name is one that is beginning to generate some buzz.
The redshirt freshman played in each of Penn State’s last four contests, including double-digit snaps on offense in each of the last two weeks.
“I think, really, the ceiling is extremely high,” Stubblefield said.
Stubblefield touted Meiga’s speed as one of the primary reasons the Nittany Lions are excited about him, adding that he “looks the part.”
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Meiga suffered a couple injury setbacks early on in the season which kept him out of the rotation. He’s also still adjusting to American collegiate football, having played his high school ball in Canada.
“His ceiling is high because of the physical and mental attributes that he has where he can be a deep ball threat,” Stubblefield said. “He can go up and get it.”
Jahan Dotson’s NFL pitch
A reporter gave Stubblefield an opportunity to rehearse a conversation he’ll likely have more than a few times in the months ahead, asking the wideouts coach what he’ll tell pro scouts about Jahan Dotson.
Several mock draft experts have the Penn State wideout going in the first round this spring, including this recent one from CBS Sports.
“He’s consistent,” Stubblefield said of his star man. “He’s a hard worker, he’s very competitive, he’s explosive, he has a high IQ, he has great hands, he’s fast. You won’t have to worry about him off the field.
“He’s a guy that you’d want in your organization and he would represent the organization extremely well and be worth every penny.”
