Super Bowl winning head coach loves what he’s seeing from former Tennessee Vols standout during NFL training camp
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Dont’e Thornton is turning a lot of heads during training camp with the Las Vegas Raiders. Thornton, a fourth round selection by the Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft, impressed everyone this week — including Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll — by catching a deep pass from quarterback Geno […]
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Dont’e Thornton is turning a lot of heads during training camp with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Thornton, a fourth round selection by the Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft, impressed everyone this week — including Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll — by catching a deep pass from quarterback Geno Smith for an impressive touchdown.
“Dont’e continues to do stuff,” said Carroll. “He’s making plays, he got deep yesterday — you guys saw that one. It was a huge play by Geno (Smith) to find him late down in the corner. And he came through and made the catch. He’s made tough catches over the middle. He’s caught the slant routes where he’s getting banged around. And he’s comfortable with it.
“I just stopped him after practice just to look him in the eye and just tried to get a feeling of, you know, is it seeming too big for him. He’s right in it. So we’re really excited about his chance to help us.”
Thornton, who has been receiving some first-team reps with the Raiders during training camp, said that he loves the coaching he’s receiving from Carroll.
“I love it,” said Thornton. “Having a coach that’s constantly on you, and it’s not even in a negative way, is always a great feeling to have.”
As long as Thornton stays healthy through training camp, it looks like he’s going to have a real chance to make an impact for the Raiders as a rookie in 2025.
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