The Las Vegas Raiders drafted wide receiver Dont'e Thornton in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft and the rookie appears to be ahead of schedule in his development.
Thornton was routinely a standout during the offseason, both in training camp and the preseason, and he showed enough to earn a starting role out of the gate in his first season, which is quite impressive.
The signing of veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper looked like something that may derail Thornton's workload, but the former Raiders first-round pick has now retired, fully clearing the way for the rookie.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly spoke to the media about Thornton and revealed that it was head coach Pete Carroll who was most responsible for the selection.
"Yeah, I think [Thornton] was a good product coming in, and obviously our personnel department and really, Pete [Carroll]," Kelly said of drafting Thornton. "Pete was the guy that kind of fell in love with him watching the tape, and we felt the same thing.
"As I said earlier, there aren't many people that tall and long that are that fast, but I've seen him really embrace every day and just, I don't think he was thinking about starting or anything," Kelly added.
Thornton is about as intriguing a player as you can get. The Tennessee product has a rare combination of elite size and speed. He stands at 6-foot-5 and runs a 4.3-second 40-yard dash.
"Mark [Davis] joked that was the Al Davis pick of this draft," general manager John Spytek said after drafting Thornton. "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."
One thing that was abundantly clear during the preseason is the Raiders are going to try and utilize Thornton's speed with the deep ball.
We'll get our first regular-season look at Thornton on Sunday when the Raiders travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots in Week 1.
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