Former Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton was selected with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round by the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday afternoon.
Thornton is the 390th all-time draft pick from Tennessee and the Vols’ third draft pick of the weekend following first-rounder James Pearce Jr. (ATL) and second-rounder Omarr Norman-Lott (KC).
Thornton is the fifth offensive pick from the Raiders in their first six selections and is the second receiver. Las Vegas took TCU wideout Jack Bech with the 26th pick in the second round.
As the 108th pick overall, Thornton greatly vaulted his pre-draft projections. Coming out of the season, there wasn’t a ton of buzz about the UT receiver. Talk started to ramp up after the NFL Combine, where he ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash among all receivers, but he was still viewed as a late-round draft pick. Thornton didn’t even land a spot on Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 150 Big Board rankings, either.
Still, though, the Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady must see something they like from Thornton. The 6-foot-5 receiver is a true deep threat and showed that during his time in Knoxville. Questions have risen around Thornton’s route tree ability, but his top-end speed and ball-tracking ability make him an intriguing prospect, and one that the Raiders appear to be excited about.
Another Vol in Vegas!@IamDTJ11 ➡️ @Raiders
Round 4 | Pick 108#NFLDraft | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/W6XAyhjbS9
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) April 26, 2025
More from RTI: Omarr Norman-Lott Heading to Contender With Second Round Selection
In two seasons at Tennessee, Thornton caught 39 receptions for 885 yards and seven touchdowns. The former Oregon transfer flourished in his final year with the Vols, where he grabbed 26 receptions for 661 yards and six scores.
Thornton is the 10th Tennessee player to be drafted by the Raiders all-time and the first since Matthew Butler:
- RB Paul Careathers – 1975
- G Mickey Marvin – 1977
- LB Reggie McKenzie – 1985
- OT Bruce Wilkerson – 1987
- DB Terry McDaniel – 1988
- QB Jeff Francis – 1989
- WR Denarius Moore – 2011
- TE Mychael Rivera – 2013
- DL Matthew Butler – 2022
- WR Dont’e Thornton – 2025
Bringing his talents to Vegas.https://t.co/UmoDQ1RbLh
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 26, 2025
Thornton is the 16th player drafted from Tennessee in the Josh Heupel era, following teammates James Pearce Jr. (26 to ATL) and Omarr Norman-Lott (63 to KC) this weekend. The surprise of the weekend from a UT perspective is that RB Dylan Sampson appears to be falling in the draft. Running backs appear to be heading off the board here in round four, so we’ll see if Sampson’s name is called soon.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee draft news and coverage.
