The Las Vegas Raiders have undergone some pretty notable changes this offseason, and the hope is that they could emerge as a sneaky wild card contender in the AFC. If that happens, they are going to need contributions from their rookie class, and while star running back Ashton Jeanty is drawing quite a bit of attention, one of the team’s late-round picks, wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., has turned heads during OTAs.
After laboring through the 2024 campaign, the Raiders are undergoing a roster reset of sorts. However, with additions like Jeanty, quarterback Geno Smith, and head coach Pete Carroll, there’s reason for optimism heading into the new season. Ultimately, though, the success of Las Vegas could depend on how their rookies perform, which is why Thornton’s stand out performance early on is so encouraging.
Dont’e Thornton Jr. Stands Out During Raiders OTAs
On the third and final day of the 2025 NFL draft, the Raiders decided to use the No. 108 pick on Thornton, a wide receiver who didn’t exactly post gaudy numbers during his time in college, but clearly has a lot of upside. After spending two seasons with the Oregon Ducks, Thornton transferred to the Tennessee Volunteers for his final two seasons, where he enjoyed a breakout season of sorts in 2025.
Despite catching just 26 passes over 13 games, Thornton made the most of his receptions, as he racked up 661 yards and six touchdowns on those catches. Thornton’s 25.4 yards per catch was tops among all qualified FBS-I wide receivers, and with impressive size (6’5, 185 pounds), and speed (4.3 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL draft combine), he was a prospect several teams had their eye on.
While Thornton is viewed as more of a developmental player who may need some time to find his footing in the pros, that didn’t appear to be the case during OTAs. In addition to Jeanty, who was an unsurprising rookie standout, Thornton was labeled by several reporters in attendance as one of the stars of the action, and he even drew a rave review from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly along the way.
“I think Dont’e is unique in terms of he’s just a hair under 6-5 and he ran 4.3. There’s not a lot of humans on this planet that do that,” Kelly bluntly remarked. “And I think if you had a draw up an outside receiver, you would pick that type of body type, someone that’s got length, someone that’s got a huge catch radius, but also has speed.
“Sometimes you can get a big guy like that, but he can’t really run, so they can stay with him. So, you add that speed element to him, his ability to sink his hips, his ability to get in and out of cuts.”
Raiders Hoping Dont’e Thornton Can Emerge as Immediate Contributor
GettyRaiders rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. stood out during the team’s OTAs
It may not look like it on the surface, but Las Vegas has the makings of a sneaky good offense heading into 2025. In addition to Smith at quarterback and Jeanty at running back, the Raiders also have a solid No. 1 wide receiver in Jakobi Meyers, and a star tight end in Brock Bowers, who earned a Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro First Team nod as a rookie in 2024.
If Thornton can emerge as a deep threat who can stretch the defense and complement Meyers, who does more of his work in the short-to-intermediate levels of the field, Smith could suddenly have a plethora of options in the air. You can only put so much weight into what you see during OTAs, but Thornton could quickly emerge as a key piece of Las Vegas’ offense in 2025.
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