Jakobi Meyers Reflects on Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s Progression

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Dont'e Thornton Jr. out of the University of Tennessee in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft, in hopes that his speed will translate seamlessly to their offense, and he'll be a player who can take the top off of defenses.

The Raiders traded for Geno Smith, and in an attempt to surround him with as much talent as possible, they spent significant draft capital on their wide receivers. Outside of Thornton Jr, they also used their second-round pick on Jack Bech, and later picks on Tommy Mellott.

While Ashton Jeanty and the run game will be their focus next season, Pete Carroll and the rest of the Raiders' new regime didn't want to leave their wide receiver room the way it was either. They have Brock Bowers, but outside of Jakobi Meyers, they don't have another reliable wide receiver to throw the ball to.

Thornton Jr. has serious potential to lead the Raiders in receiving yards later in his career, as he isn't in the starting lineup yet, he's behind Meyers on the depth chart, and can easily pass his fellow rookie Bech, or even take Tre Tucker's spot in the starting lineup.

He's blazing fast and gives the Raiders another mode to run their offense through. He's a prime target for play-action passes whenever the Raiders want to execute those, as they'll be relying on the run game a lot; it's easy to imagine them faking out a defense and opposing cornerbacks losing track of Thornton Jr. as he dashes across the field.

It will also be incredibly beneficial for him to receive throws from a veteran like Smith, who throws one of the most catchable balls in the NFL. Meyers recently went on an interview where he talked about how Thornton Jr. has progressed so far in OTAs.

"I like him a lot, actually. I didn't know much about him coming out. But now that he's here, just seeing the different parts of his game, like, he's not just a guy that can run fast. He has some real receiver capabilities. I'm excited to help him grow and push him along and just see what he can do on the field when the pads come on".

Thornton Jr. has a tremendous opportunity to be a staple of the Raiders' offense for years to come, and it helps that there are players on the team already looking out for him. He can learn a lot from Meyers, who's coming off a year where he had more than 1,00 yards, and will have to take advantage of any lessons he learns along the way.

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