Tennessee Vols transfer identified as a potential 2024 NFL Draft pick
One of the Tennessee Vols' offseason NCAA transfer portal additions was identified this week as a potential 2024 NFL Draft selection. The Athletic recently broke down the top transfer prospects that will be draft eligible in 2024 and they included Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton. Thornton transferred to Tennessee earlier this offseason after spending the […]
One of the Tennessee Vols' offseason NCAA transfer portal additions was identified this week as a potential 2024 NFL Draft selection.
The Athletic recently broke down the top transfer prospects that will be draft eligible in 2024 and they included Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton.
Thornton transferred to Tennessee earlier this offseason after spending the first two years of his career at Oregon.
Thornton, 6-foot-5/205 lbs from Baltimore, MD, is a former four-star recruit that was rated as the No. 7 wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class.
From The Athletic: Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton can throw the football a long, long way, so Vols coach Josh Heupel spent time in the transfer portal this offseason looking for receivers Milton won’t be able to out-throw. Thornton, a 6-5 speedster with length and a great catch radius, fits the bill. Thornton got a bit lost in a deep Oregon offense last season, finishing seventh on the team in receptions. Now, he’s in Heupel’s deep-choice offense, a system that feels like a perfect fit for everything Thornton can be about.
The key word there, of course, is “can.” Thornton has a ton of ability at his size, but can he be consistent? A great example of what I mean: Thornton had a huge four-catch, 148-yard day last year against Utah but also fumbled twice in that game.
Thornton can line up at any of the wide receiver positions which makes him a perfect fit in Josh Heupel's up-tempo spread offense. Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle should have no issues moving Thornton around and creating desired mismatches that can exploit opposing defenses.
The former Oregon standout will obviously have to put the work in to be successful, but it would almost be a surprise if he's not an early-round draft pick next spring.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
