'A seriously dangerous weapon' – National media outlet grades the Raiders' selection of former Tennessee Vols WR Dont'e Thornton
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 108 pick (Round Four) in the 2025 NFL Draft. Thornton, who started his college career at Oregon, spent the last two seasons of his career at Tennessee, catching 39 passes for 885 yards and seven touchdowns during his time […]
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 108 pick (Round Four) in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Thornton, who started his college career at Oregon, spent the last two seasons of his career at Tennessee, catching 39 passes for 885 yards and seven touchdowns during his time with the Vols.
CBS Sports immediately graded the Raiders' selection of Thornton, giving Las Vegas an "A-" for the pick.
From CBS Sports: Nearly 6-foot-5, 205-pound burner with 4.30 speed. And it shows on film. Averaged nearly 22 yards per catch in college. Did play in wide open, vertical-based offense, which helped his numbers, yet he can absolutely rip downfield. Niche type with overall rawness to his game yet adds a seriously dangerous weapon for Geno Smith. Nice complement to Jakobi Meyers and Jack Bech.
Thornton is one of the biggest athletic freaks in the draft thanks to his elite size/speed combine. The former Vol is raw as a receiver, due in part to the limited route tree that he was asked to run at Tennessee, but that means there's a lot of untapped potential there, too.
