The Las Vegas Raiders entered the offseason fully understanding that they needed help at wide receiver, and while they struck out in terms of adding a big name, they did bring in a few notable pieces.
The Raiders selected Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton in the second and fourth rounds of the NFL Draft, respectively. They then reunited with Amari Cooper much later in the summer.
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Jakobi Meyers is slated to be Las Vegas’ No. 1 receiver, but the depth beyond him is actually sort of a mystery right now.
However, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has revealed a rather surprising update on the Raiders’ wide receiver room, noting that Thornton — not Bech — may be in line for significant playing time than his fellow rookie.
“It feels like as we sit here today, Dont’e Thornton is going to get a little bit more playing time than Jack Bech,” Bonsignore said. “That’s not to say that Jack is far behind or didn’t play well because when given opportunities. He looked fine. He’s just playing behind Jakobi Meyers where I think there’s more of a defined role this year for Dont’e Thornton because he does something different than every other wide receiver and brings something different than every wide receiver on this team.”
Thornton flew under the radar heading into the draft, thanks much in part to the fact that the 2025 class was absolutely loaded at his position. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that Thornton averaged a ridiculous 25.4 yards per catch during his final season at Tennessee, hauling in 26 receptions for 661 yards and six touchdowns.
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The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Thornton is an incredibly unique weapon who ran an eye-opening 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, so he clearly possesses game-breaking ability. The question is whether or not he is a one-trick pony.
We’ll see just how much of a role Thornton has in the Raiders’ offense this fall. Las Vegas will face the New England Patriots on Sunday.
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