Raiders excited about rookie receiver with high ceiling

The Las Vegas Raiders selected three wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft last month, but the one with the most boom-or-bust potential is certainly fourth-round rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr.

While Thornton is not expected to have as much of an immediate impact as second-round rookie Jack Bech, he has tantalizing upside that teams usually take a swing at on Day Three. Arguably the best combination of size and speed in the entire draft class, Thornton is an athletic marvel that late team owner Al Davis would have loved to have on the Raiders. Despite Thornton not seeing much usage at Tennessee, as well as playing in a college-friendly offense, the Raiders have the chance to turn Thornton into a quality receiver with proper development.

The Raiders are dedicated to helping Thornton progress as a NFL player, and they are clearly excited by what they have seen so far.

Very few Raiders rookies excite the coaching staff quite like Thornton.

During his media availability during OTAs, Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly highlighted Thornton as one of the players he is excited about working with.

“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. 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,” Kelly said.

Thornton offers raw athletic traits, but Kelly is aware that he needs some developmental time, at least compared to rookies such as first-round running back Ashton Jeanty.

“So, some of them came from – I think Ashton was probably fortunate coming from [former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach] Dirk [Koetter]’s system at Boise, because it’s a little bit more pro-friendly. Some other guys are playing up tempo, throwing the ball all over one word calls and going, and so everybody’s on a different level when they come in, and it’s just a matter of them getting acclimated. And [Raiders wide receivers coach] Chris Beatty is doing a great job with those guys, but they’ve both shown that they’re good players, and we’ll continue to see how they go.”

Kelly sees Thornton as a project worth pursuing, and the rest of the NFL should be nervous if the Raiders unlock his potential.