First training camp practices reveal surprise on offense

Seeing Thornton in the starting spot is not necessarily surprising, given how strong his offseason has been. What is surprising is who he is currently in front of.

Did the offseason have something to do with the early depth chart?

Second-round pick Jack Bech was widely expected to be a starter in his rookie season, but an unexpected development in regards to guaranteed money for all second-round rookies lead to a delay in signing his rookie contract.

However, Bech did report to minicamp back in May and put together a strong effort. It is doubtful that Bech is too far behind for that to be the reason for the order on the depth chart.

The reason could be that Bech’s skillset is more in-line with a big slot receiver, whereas Thornton’s size-speed combination is geared towards the boundary. That leaves Bech to compete for the slot receiver role with Tre Tucker, giving the Raiders two completely different looks. Whereas Bech wins with precise route-running, Tucker wins with straight speed, so the Raiders will have to figure out what they prioritize at the position.

It is clear from how the depth chart is shaking out early on that this is a position battle to watch all camp long.