2022 NFL draft (with Chark) under year 1 of the Las Vegas Raiders new regime.
That’s right. This is a mock draft under the impression Raiders bring in DJ Chark. Furthermore, an outside receiver was taken in the 2nd. What is going on here?
Meet Tyquan Thornton.
Thornton ran a… wait for it… 4.28 official 40 at the combine. Being a team that lacks true speed after being left without Ruggs, it’s needless to say Thornton possesses that speed.
While being an exceptional athlete, the techniques are far from rounded, and as a result we can expect Baylor’s speedster to keep falling. The route running needs refining, his release is shaky at best, and he really doesn’t have too many moves in the open field.
With all that being said, Thornton is a threat any time he steps on the field solely due to that jaw dropping speed; A jaw dropping speed the Raiders could use pretty badly.
Having great speed is one thing, and understanding how to use that speed is another. Thankfully for Thornton, he’s proven time and time again he understands how to use it to peak efficiency. Because of this, even without the open field moves, he’s a threat to take it the distance any given play.
If you give Thornton a chance downfield, he’s shown there’s not many problems with making a play on the ball and hauling it in. If you’re a certain QB who had as many or more >25 yard passing plays as anyone not named Tom Brady, you love that.
In the end, although most of his techniques need to be tuned, this is a playmaker Vegas cannot pass up on.