Jun 11, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (10) runs through a drill during Las Vegas Raiders Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Raiders' Chip Kelly Has High Praise for Dont'e Thornton

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders want to get the offense going next season. The Raiders are trying to get it back to where they could attack defenses in every way possible. Last season, the Silver and Black did not have a good offense. No matter what they did they could not get anything going. One big reason was because of the quarterback play. It was not good either.

Now with new head coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Spytek, the Raiders went after and traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Smith gives the Raiders a clear upgrade at the quarterback position, and he is a good veteran who has proven he can lead a team in the right direction.

The Raiders also added more weapons for Smith this offseason. On big weapon they added was wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Raiders drafted him in the fourth round, and that was a spot that the Raiders did not expect to get Thornton in. Thornton showed off his speed all of last season and college, and he is a big-sized receiver as well.

Now the Raiders have a big target going down the field and could catch 50-50 balls that are thrown his way. That is another thing that the Raiders have not had in a receiver over the last couple of seasons.

“I think Dont’e is unique in terms of he’s just a hair under 6-5 and he ran 4.3. There’s ,” Kelly said, via Raiders.com. “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.”

"The Raiders have a long history of valuing physical attributes like size and speed, and General Manager John Spytek said Raiders owner Mark Davis knows his father, Al Davis, would have loved Thornton," said Michael David Smith of NBC Sports.

The Raiders will certainly be looking for mismatches next season with Thornton on the field. He will have a big role in Kelly's offense.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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