Former Tennessee football wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. has parlayed a strong training camp into a starting job in the NFL. Thornton, who was selected in the fourth round with the 108th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, is listed as one of the team’s three starting receivers on its opening depth chart.
There is nobody listed behind Thornton on the depth chart, either. The other two starters are Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. Behind them are Amari Cooper and Jack Bech to make up the five receivers on the roster.
In the preseason, Thornton caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. He was the talk of the offseason out of Las Vegas’ camp as an early standout. His regular-season debut will be against the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
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Thornton played two seasons at Tennessee before beginning his pro career. In 2024, he was a starting receiver on the outside for the Vols. He posted 26 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns. This included an 86-yard strike.
In 2023, his first with Tennessee, he was asked to balance both outside receiver and the slot role. He caught 13 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown. The scoring play resulted in an injury that held him out for the remainder of the season, though.
Prior to his time in Knoxville, he began his career at Oregon. In 2022, he caught 17 passes for 366 yards and a score. In 2021, he caught nine passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
After his college career, Thornton had a strong combine to help raise his draft stock. He measured in at over 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. He ran a 4.30 40-yard dash, had a 1.51 second 10-yard split, notched a 33.0 in vertical jump and posted a 10-foot 6-inch broad jump.
Thornton is from Baltimore, Maryland, where he stood out at Mount Saint Joseph.
