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The 2025 NFL season is officially underway, as the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Detroit Lions, 34-7, in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday. While we didn't see Jared Goff, Justin Herbert or Jahmyr Gibbs take the field, it was a fun way to kick off football season. 

Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first. The Chargers quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the Lions turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions. In fact, Detroit even fumbled away the opening kickoff. Dan Campbell's squad turned the ball over a whopping five times on Thursday night. There was considerable hype around new Chargers running back Omarion Hampton, but he rushed just twice for 9 yards. Some were excited to watch Lions backup quarterback Hendon Hooker, but he completed just 3 of 6 passes for 18 yards and one interception. Kyle Allen also threw two picks in the first quarter for Detroit.

With that being said, there were plenty of positives to take away from this game. Did you know that over 50% of Hall of Famers have either coached or played in the Hall of Fame game? Maybe we saw one or two future stars on Thursday. Let's take a look at five standouts from the Hall of Fame game in Canton. 

5. KeAndre Lambert-Smith 

The nephew of Kam Chancellor caught 50 passes for 981 yards and eight touchdowns for the Auburn Tigers last season, is 6-feet-1 and ran a 4.37 at the NFL Scouting Combine, yet fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. I guess I'm missing something?

Lambert-Smith caught just two passes Thursday night, but turned those two touches into 43 yards and a touchdown. He appears to have legitimate potential as a perimeter threat. 

4. Caleb Murphy

It could be a trivia question one day. "Name the former Division II star that forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the 2025 Hall of Fame game." The answer is Ferris State legend Caleb Murphy. 

Murphy didn't just make this one play. He recorded three tackles in the first half, one tackle for loss and a very physical takedown of Lions running back Craig Reynolds at the 3-yard line. 

Murphy found himself on the Chargers practice squad last season following his release from the Tennessee Titans. During his college days, Murphy set an NCAA single-season record with 25.5 sacks, and tied an NCAA record with 39 tackles for loss as well. Just 25 years old, keep an eye on No. 50. 

3. Trey Lance

The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft looked solid in the first game of his fifth NFL season. Lance took advantage of the short fields gifted to him by his defense and special teams, as the Chargers jumped out to a 14-0 lead. That included this touchdown pass to Will Dissly.

Lance put some nice throws on tape, including this one-on-one ball on the perimeter -- dropping it in for Lambert-Smith before the safety could get over.

Lance played the majority of the game, completing 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Lance is still going to have to beat out Taylor Heinicke for the backup QB job. It was understood he was a raw prospect coming out of North Dakota State, but it would be a nice story for him to find his footing with Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers.

2. Isaac TeSlaa

The 6-4 big slot out of Arkansas has Lions fans hoping TeSlaa can play a role for John Morton in Year 1. In 25 college appearances, he caught 62 passes for 896 yards and five touchdowns. Not only is TeSlaa a mismatch for defensive backs, but he also tested well at the combine.

TeSlaa caught just two passes in the first half, but turned those into 46 yards -- which led all players.

1. Nikko Reed

If you're not a Chargers fan, it may be your first time hearing of Nikko Reed. The former Colorado and Oregon cornerback went undrafted this year, but has by all accounts been tearing up training camp. According to the Chargers' official website, he registered a pick six last week, and has stood out in just about every practice session. 

Reed is 5-10, but can play outside or in the slot. On the Lions' second full drive of the game, he picked off Allen and returned it 60 yards the other way. 

What's incredible is that on Allen's second interception of the opening quarter, he again tried Reed deep. The rook had TeSlaa locked up, and the 33-year-old Tony Jefferson came away with the pick. 

Just in the first half, Reed registered a special teams tackle, pass deflection and interception. 

"I think he's doing a great job, consistent, competitive, love where his head is at, love where he's at," Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said of Reed earlier this week. "Excited to see him play real football on Thursday."

Minter was excited for good reason, and we now have a new name to watch this preseason.