Former Tennessee receiver Dont’e Thornton has impressed during his rookie training camp with the Las Vegas Raiders. That strong start to his professional career has earned him a starting spot in the Raiders’ preseason opener Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, according to the team’s depth chart.
The starting spot is notable because the Raiders included their expected starters as the starters in the preseason depth chart. Geno Smith is the starting quarterback, Ashton Jeanty is the starting running back and Ja’Kobi Meyers and Tre Tucker are the other starting receivers.
Thornton has consistently earned praise from Raiders’ writers, coaches and players alike during training camp. The tall receiver has made plays down the field like we saw him do at Tennessee while also making tough catches over the middle— something we saw less of.
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“Dont’e Thornton, the dude we drafted from Tennessee, the big receiver,” Raiders defensive lineman Maxx Crosby said. “I think he might be 6-foot-5. Runs a 4.30 (in the 40-yard dash). … It’s crazy because a kid like that, he had success in college, but he hasn’t hit his full potential yet. Seeing him on the field and realizing what he can be, from a player perspective, is like holy shit, this dude could be something serious.”
The Raiders drafted Thornton in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after the former blue-chip recruit played two seasons at Oregon and then two seasons at Tennessee.
Thornton signed a four-year deal worth $5.2 million with a signing bonus of $1,050,896. Spotrac reports that Thornton will make a base salary of $840,000 in 2025, $1.01 million in 2026, $1.12 million in 2027 and $1.24 million in 2028.
After an inconsistent debut season with Tennessee in 2023, Thornton emerged as Tennessee’s top receiving threat in his senior season. The 6-foot-5 receiver caught 26 passes for a team-best 661 yards and six touchdowns. Thornton had significant big plays in the Vols’ wins over Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
Kickoff between the Raiders and Seahawks in week one of the NFL preseason is at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
