The Las Vegas Raiders got hit with a bombshell when WR Jakobi Meyers requested a trade from the organization late in August, which consequently saw the franchise bring back veteran WR Amari Cooper for his second go-round with the Silver & Black.
Despite the addition of Cooper, Raiders WR Dont’e Thornton has been named as a breakout player entering his rookie year.
Raiders WR Dont’e Thornton Named a Breakout Candidate Ahead of Rookie Year
Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone named Raiders rookie WR Dont’e Thornton as a breakout candidate entering the 2025 NFL season.
“Again, it’s not ideal to pick rookies for this, because rookies are inherently all breakout candidates. But once again, the receiver position is coming into focus for the Raiders this year as rookie Dont’e Thornton has captivated everyone throughout the offseason program with his size and speed combination,” wrote Bedinger. “Thornton has a chance to be a real mismatch problem for defenses, and we know from his time in Seattle that Geno Smith can dial up the deep ball. This connection has a chance to be special and Thornton could even outplay second-round receiver Jack Bech early on.”
Bedinger isn’t alone in his belief that Thornton could have a big rookie year. Andy Quach of Sports Illustrated actually suggested that Thornton could have a feature role in the Raiders passing attack in 2025.
âDontâe Thornton Jr. may have earned a feature role in Raiderâs offense after preseason,â wrote Quach. âIf Dontâe Thornton Jr. can parlay his impressive training camp and preseason into a fast start in the 2025 NFL campaign, he could emerge as Geno Smithâs third-favorite target, behind Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers.â
Thornton looked the part of a productive NFL wide receiver at points throughout training camp, which included an impressive touchdown grab from Geno Smith in the preseason finale.
Thornton possesses an imposing physical 6’4” 205-pound frame with blazing 4.3 speed, which could prove very useful for unlocking a vertical passing game that simply didn’t exist in the Raiders’ passing offense last season.
Thornton is still a work in progress as a route runner, which was evident by his limited route tree during his time with the Tennessee Volunteers, but his physical tools and demonstrated ability to win at the catchpoint throughout training camp means he is likely to have a consistent role in this offense in 2025.
How Does the Jakobi Meyers Trade Request Impact the Pass Catching Pecking Order in Las Vegas for 2025?
Before anyone gets too far ahead of their skis, we should start by clarifying that Brock Bowers is still the alpha in this passing game. His 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five scores as a rookie suggest he is a future superstar in the NFL.
Yet, the trade request from Meyers does open up things considerably for the other pass catchers on the roster to carve out a role in 2025.
Meyers saw 129 targets in 2024, which means this offense is going to see someone emerge as a potential complementary option to Bowers this season.
Thornton and Cooper are certainly two names that come to mind, but Tre Tucker and Jack Bech are two other players who could factor into the equation regularly when the Raiders go to 11 personnel sets.
The Raiders’ passing offense could take some time to sort itself out while the offense finds ideal roles for each of these receivers, but they should start to hit their stride after the first month of the season.
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