The Las Vegas Raiders invested heavily in wide receivers during the 2025 NFL Draft. They selected three players at the position, drafting Jack Bech in the second round, Dont’e Thornton Jr. in Round 4 and short-lived project Tommy Mellott in the sixth.
Thornton Jr. was perceived to have the most upside out of the group, as he stands at 6-foot-5 with 4.30 speed, making him an instant deep threat entering the NFL. During his final college season, he had three touchdowns over 70 yards, displaying his ability to be a burner at the next level.
While Thornton had the most upside, he also needed the most development. At Tennessee, his route tree was limited, and other Volunteers wideouts haven't exactly panned out in the NFL in recent memory.
With that said, Thornton Jr. was still thrown into the starting lineup right away because of his potential and willingness to get dirty in the run game as a blocker. Headed into Year 2, though, the road will be much more difficult for the recent Day 3 investment.
Raiders WR Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s rookie season was wildly up and down
During the preseason and after Week 1, many in Raider Nation thought Thornton Jr. was going to be a gem for the offense. That changed quickly as the season went along, when his production and snap share both decreased tremendously.
He finished the year with only 10 catches for 135 yards, and he ultimately playd just 253 passing snaps during his rookie season. The Raiders even signed veteran Tyler Lockett mid-season to attempt to fill the hole left by Thornton Jr. not performing up to expectations.
One of the main issues with Thornton Jr. is that he hasn't played up to his size on the outside. With him being 6-foot-5, fans would expect him to be able to turn an underthrown ball into a contested catch. In Year 1, that was not displayed on the field.
On the play below against the Indianapolis Colts, Thornton Jr. wins the one-on-one on the outside and has a chance at a big play. It isn’t a perfect pass from Geno Smith, but it is close enough where a player Thornton Jr.'s size should find a way to make a play. Instead, it ends up as an incompletion.
Thornton Jr. did exhibit improvement as a route runner during his inaugural campaign, but drops became a factor later on in the year. Against the Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 10, the Raiders ran double go’s with a double move set up to create separation.
And Thornton Jr. does a great job selling that he is running a curl route, which holds the corner, and he is wide open downfield. The play ends with a big drop from the former Volunteer on a pass that could have led to a score and an eventual upset for the Raiders.
When he was able to get open, the leaky offensive line kept him from making bigger plays. On this play against the Kansas City Chiefs, Thornton Jr. is running a corner route from a condensed set on fourth down.
He does a great job of selling the post and is wide open for a huge play. However, Jackson Powers-Johnson gets beat immediately by Chris Jones, which leads to an incomplete pass from Smith, who didn't have enough time to make a catchable throw.
With the Raiders adding Jalen Nailor and Malik Benson this offseason, it will be a tough uphill battle for Thornton Jr. if he doesn't improve his ball skills. Training camp could sink him further down the depth chart if he shows no development heading into the season.
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