Raiders Rookies Impressing in Camp

Monday marked the first day in pads for the Las Vegas Raiders. Heavy equipment aside, rookie wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton both looked good in the silver and black.

Jun 10, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll looks on during Las Vegas Raiders Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Monday was the first day in pads for the Las Vegas Raiders. It didn't matter for Jach Bech or Dont'e Thornton, Jr. They had a great day of practice and both caught their first touchdowns in pads.

For Thornton, he took on Darien Porter lining up on the left side of the formation. He ran a deep corner route against Porter, who is as equally as fast as Thornton is. According to published reports, they both have the same 40-yard dash time.

"I just felt like it was one of those plays where Geno [Smith] took the matchup because it ended up being a one-on-one situation and that's how it played out," Thornton said.

It appears as though Thornton and Smith are working well on their timing and they could be a force to be reckoned with once the season starts. Thornton likes the way things are shaping up thus far.

Jun 11, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (0) and wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (10) run through a drill during Las Vegas Raiders Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

"I'm very confident in those one-on-one matchups, but I'm even more confident because I know Geno is going to take a shot with that," Thornton added. "Like he tells me every single day, if you've got a one-on-one matchup, I'm coming to you. So, that lets me know that I got to win every time I get one-on-ones because he's going to throw the ball to me."

Bech scored on a touchdown pass from Aidan O'Connell. He made a nice, impressive catch, hand fighting with the defender for the ball during the red zone period and caught the ball for six just inside the left pylon.

"It's all about just the scheme and what all the coaches are talking about," Bech said. "Just being able to attack leverage, uncover the DB's leverage, find the ways for the QB to get a throwing window to you and going out to make plays."

Darts to Dont’e 🎯#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/k8YZkkYRbi

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 28, 2025

Despite the fact Bech and Thornton are both rookies, they are being utilized a lot in practice and they seem to be opening up the playbook for both of them. They are both also being moved around the formation and could be found anywhere on the field.

"Some days you'll see me at outside, some days you'll see me at inside, some days you'll see me at both," Bech said. "I know the Z and the A pretty well, obviously it's a lot of time studying the playbook. It's definitely, you get what you put into it. All the hours you put into studying the playbook kind of starts showing out on the field."

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