New head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek are putting together an excellent draft in their first go around with the Las Vegas Raiders. They have checked off almost every box already, and they still have six more selections on Day 3 to continue adding talent.
However, despite their focus on adding offensive players thus far, there is still one glaring need that must be addressed in the later rounds. When looking at the wide receiver room in Las Vegas, two major things are missing.
The Raiders have several possession guys, but the room lacks a big receiver and high-end speed. Jack Bech was an excellent addition, but he is not a prototypical speedster. Quarterback Geno Smith is one of the best deep ball throwers in the league, so Las Vegas needs to create some magic in that realm by adding a big, outside wideout with burning speed.
Raiders have obvious trade up target on Day 3 of 2025 NFL Draft
Tennessee wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. is the perfect fit for the Las Vegas Raiders, and the team may need to trade up on Day 3 to get him.
Size and speed are at a premium in the NFL, and prospects who have both of these attributes rarely last long in the draft. There are several teams ahead of the Raiders on the board who may look to target Thornton, so it will potentially cost the team to land his talents.
At the NFL combine, Thornton ran a blazing-fast 4.3-second 40-yard dash, which was the fastest time for any wide receiver above 6-foot-3 in the history of the event. The kicker is that Thornton is not just 6-foot-3, but he is an astounding 6-foot-5. With his combination of size and speed, he may remind Raiders fans of the infamous Randy Moss.
Related: Raiders' first Day 3 selection could not be any clearer
Thornton, however, is not just fast, but he has excellent play strength and can work through contact on his routes, as well as beat press coverage with his release packages. While his 26-catch, 661-yard, 6-touchdown campaign during his final season with the Volunteers may not jump off the page, it is important to recognize that he led a poor passing offense in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Trading up to draft Thornton may be risky, as his route tree is a bit underdeveloped and he is not a player who would garner 10 targets a game. But his combination of size and speed would both open up the offense for the Raiders and give Geno Smith a big target down the field or in the redzone.
He could very well be the missing piece for the Las Vegas offense, as his homerun-hitting ability would make the unit even more of a threat. The Raiders have another fourth-round pick and a slew of sixth-rounders, so they have plenty of cards to move up the board. Thornton would have also been the late Al Davis' dream prospect, so he'd likely be smiling about the pick somewhere.