Latest news with #Dont'eThornton
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2 Raiders rookies among biggest standouts from joint practice with 49ers
2 Raiders rookies among biggest standouts from joint practice with 49ers originally appeared on The Sporting News The Las Vegas Raiders took part in a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday and two of the team's rookies were among the biggest standouts. According to Levi Edwards of wide receiver Dont'e Thornton "won the majority of his matchups against the 49ers cornerbacks" during one-on-one drills, with his highlight being "an impressive high-point grab." Edwards also noted that running back Ashton Jeanty broke off a "big run nearly untouched" during a team period. "To see that from a rookie player, like he learns and he grows with every single experience," quarterback Geno Smith said of Jeanty. "I think that's something that's going to make him so much of a great player, because he's getting better by day. And so, I thought Ashton did a great job as always, but he definitely took another step and another jump today." But that wasn't the only big play Jeanty had. "Jeanty broke off multiple explosive runs and was consistently effective throughout the joint practice, according to various reports," Justin Melo of Raiders Wire wrote. When it comes to veterans who shined, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and star edge rusher Maxx Crosby were named by Edwards. Tight end Brock Bowers scored twice to make his mark. The performances from Jeanty and Thornton are particularly notable after the pair of rookies struggled in the preseason Week 1 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Thornton did catch one ball for 17 yards, but he also had a drop on the opening series. Meanwhile, Jeanty finished with -1 yards on three carries, although the offensive line was the issue there, as the No. 6 overall pick had no room to run. Both players will look to rebound on Saturday afternoon, when the Raiders host the 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in preseason Week 2. MORE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS NEWS Davante Adams reminded of why he didn't want Jimmy G as Raiders QB Where Raiders' valuation of $7.9 billion ranked among rest of NFL
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Dont'e Thornton? Meet the Raiders rookie WR turning heads in training camp
Who is Dont'e Thornton? Meet the Raiders rookie WR turning heads in training camp originally appeared on The Sporting News The Las Vegas Raiders drafted two wide receivers during the 2025 NFL draft, one of which was Tennessee product, Dont'e Thornton. Thornton was taken in the fourth round of April's draft, two rounds after Las Vegas took fellow wide receiver and TCU product, Jack Bech. Thornton began his college career at Oregon but transferred to Tennessee in 2023. In his four years in college (two at Oregon, two at Tennessee), Thornton caught 65 passes for 1,426 yards and 10 touchdowns. Thornton finished his college career with 26 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns. How has Dont'e Thornton looked this offseason? While Thornton was expected to be a project at the next level, he has actually proven to be ahead of schedule. "Thornton was still thought to need plenty of polish to become a productive pro receiver," Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said of Thornton during OTAs. "His college offense wasn't too sophisticated." "At OTAs, however, his footwork at the line of scrimmage appeared more advanced than advertised and his route running looked crisp. He could be further along than suspected," Bonsignore concluded. 'Dont'e Thornton, the dude we drafted from Tennessee, the big receiver,' Raiders star Maxx Crosby said of Thornton after OTAs. '6-foot-4, another freak, I think he might be 6-foot-5. Runs a 4.30 (in the 40-yard dash)…. It's crazy because a kid like that, he had success in college, but he hasn't hit his full potential yet. Seeing him on the field and realizing what he can be, from a player perspective, is like holy s***, this dude could be something serious.' Thornton has continued turning heads at training camp. 'Dont'e continues to do stuff… He's made tough catches over the middle. He's caught the slant routes where he's getting banged around. And he's comfortable with it,' head coach Pete Carroll said of the rookie during training camp. Is Dont'e Thornton a starter? Thanks to his impressive showing this offseason, Thornton was listed as a starter on the Raiders' first unofficial depth chart of 2025. Dont'e Thornton scouting report From : Strengths: Explosive vertically, with a career average of 21.9 yards per catch. Play strength and hand-fighting pull him past physical corners. Able to sink hips and gather quickly for comebacks. Talent to track, adjust and win contested deep throws. True speed to make house calls when catching on the move. Works away from coverage and toward the throw for quarterbacks. Weaknesses: Runs a three-route tree with slight variations. Value can be snuffed out by deep safety looks. Long strides are gradual and rounded on in-breaking routes. Separation burst from route breaks is average. Lacks decisiveness and wiggle after the catch. Dont'e Thornton's combine results Height: 6'5 Weight: 205 lbs Arm: 32 1/8'' Hand: 9 5/8" 40-yard dash: 4.3 Dont'e Thornton's college background Played in 51 career games with 12 starts over four collegiate seasons, including two seasons at Oregon (2021-22) before transferring to Tennessee for his final two seasons (2023-24). Finished his college career with 65 receptions for 1,426 yards (21.9 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. In 2024, recorded 26 receptions for 661 yards (25.4 avg.) and six touchdowns. His 25.4 average yards per reception led the FBS in 2024, while his six receptions of 50+ yards were the most in the FBS. MORE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS NEWS Raiders linked to Micah Parsons trade with Cowboys involving multiple first-round picks Geno Smith compares young Las Vegas Raiders receiver to former All-Pro NFL insider has the worst Las Vegas Raiders take you'll read all day
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raiders rookie WR Dont'e Thornton knows he must improve as a route runner
The Las Vegas Raiders entered training camp searching for playmakers at wide receiver. Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker are the two veterans in the room. New general manager John Spytek selected multiple wide receivers during the 2025 NFL draft, landing Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton. Thornton is especially intriguing. The former Tennessee Volunteers standout is an athletic specimen who's still developing the technical aspects of playing the position. The 6-foot-5, 205 pound Thornton ran a blazing-fast 4.30 at the NFL combine. Despite having that size and athleticism, he only produced 661 receiving yards last season. The biggest knock analysts had on Thornton throughout the pre-draft process was his raw route-running ability. He averaged an explosive, FBS-leading 25.4 yards per catch last campaign, but ran a limited route tree, lowering his ceiling. Thornton is aware he must improve as a route runner. "The biggest knock on me was I wasn't a true route runner," Thornton said after a recent practice. "It's more motivation to get even better." New Raiders starting quarterback Geno Smith is a gunslinger. Under Raiders head coach Pete Carroll in Seattle, he loved targeting big-bodied receivers like DK Metcalf down the field. Tucker, Meyers, or Bech can't provide that explosive ability in the way Thornton can if he reaches his performance ceiling. Thornton is taking the correct approach at training camp to develop into a useful target for Smith this season. This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders rookie WR Dont'e Thornton: "Must improve as a route runner"
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Dont'e Thornton? Meet the Raiders rookie WR turning heads in training camp
Who is Dont'e Thornton? Meet the Raiders rookie WR turning heads in training camp originally appeared on The Sporting News The Las Vegas Raiders drafted two wide receivers during the 2025 NFL draft, one of which was Tennessee product, Dont'e Thornton. Thornton was taken in the fourth round of April's draft, two rounds after Las Vegas took fellow wide receiver and TCU product, Jack Bech. Thornton began his college career at Oregon but transferred to Tennessee in 2023. In his four years in college (two at Oregon, two at Tennessee), Thornton caught 65 passes for 1,426 yards and 10 touchdowns. Thornton finished his college career with 26 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns. How has Dont'e Thornton looked this offseason? While Thornton was expected to be a project at the next level, he has actually proven to be ahead of schedule. "Thornton was still thought to need plenty of polish to become a productive pro receiver," Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said of Thornton during OTAs. "His college offense wasn't too sophisticated." "At OTAs, however, his footwork at the line of scrimmage appeared more advanced than advertised and his route running looked crisp. He could be further along than suspected," Bonsignore concluded. 'Dont'e Thornton, the dude we drafted from Tennessee, the big receiver,' Raiders star Maxx Crosby said of Thornton after OTAs. '6-foot-4, another freak, I think he might be 6-foot-5. Runs a 4.30 (in the 40-yard dash)…. It's crazy because a kid like that, he had success in college, but he hasn't hit his full potential yet. Seeing him on the field and realizing what he can be, from a player perspective, is like holy s***, this dude could be something serious.' Thornton has continued turning heads at training camp. 'Dont'e continues to do stuff… He's made tough catches over the middle. He's caught the slant routes where he's getting banged around. And he's comfortable with it,' head coach Pete Carroll said of the rookie during training camp. Is Dont'e Thornton a starter? Thanks to his impressive showing this offseason, Thornton was listed as a starter on the Raiders' first unofficial depth chart of 2025. Dont'e Thornton scouting report From : Strengths: Explosive vertically, with a career average of 21.9 yards per catch. Play strength and hand-fighting pull him past physical corners. Able to sink hips and gather quickly for comebacks. Talent to track, adjust and win contested deep throws. True speed to make house calls when catching on the move. Works away from coverage and toward the throw for quarterbacks. Weaknesses: Runs a three-route tree with slight variations. Value can be snuffed out by deep safety looks. Long strides are gradual and rounded on in-breaking routes. Separation burst from route breaks is average. Lacks decisiveness and wiggle after the catch. Dont'e Thornton's combine results Height: 6'5 Weight: 205 lbs Arm: 32 1/8'' Hand: 9 5/8" 40-yard dash: 4.3 Dont'e Thornton's college background Played in 51 career games with 12 starts over four collegiate seasons, including two seasons at Oregon (2021-22) before transferring to Tennessee for his final two seasons (2023-24). Finished his college career with 65 receptions for 1,426 yards (21.9 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. In 2024, recorded 26 receptions for 661 yards (25.4 avg.) and six touchdowns. His 25.4 average yards per reception led the FBS in 2024, while his six receptions of 50+ yards were the most in the FBS. MORE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS NEWS Raiders linked to Micah Parsons trade with Cowboys involving multiple first-round picks Geno Smith compares young Las Vegas Raiders receiver to former All-Pro NFL insider has the worst Las Vegas Raiders take you'll read all day
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chip Kelly: Not many humans have size and speed like Raiders rookie WR Dont'e Thornton
At the NFL Scouting Combine, former Tennessee wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. opened a lot of eyes by measuring 6-foot-5 and running his 40-yard dash in 4.30 seconds. He was the tallest player ever to run that fast at the Combine. That led the Raiders to draft Thornton in the fourth round despite minimal production in college: He caught just 65 passes in four seasons of college football, two at Tennessee and two at Oregon. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly says that a unique talent like Thornton can develop into a productive receiver, even if he hasn't done it yet. Advertisement "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," Kelly said, via "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." The Raiders have a long history of valuing physical attributes like size and speed, and General Manager John Spytek said Raiders owner Mark Davis knows his father, Al Davis, would have loved Thornton. "Mark joked that was the Al Davis pick of this draft," Spytek said. "The height, weight, speed, raw traits, athleticism, speed, and I think it's just focusing on what he can do and what he can be. . . . You watch his target tape, I think it's pretty impressive. And we think he hasn't hit his ceiling yet." The Raiders think they added a uniquely talented receiver when they brought Thornton to Las Vegas.
