The Raiders made a point to add wide receivers in last month’s draft and, so far, the reviews on both Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton have been optimistic.
This week was a big week for Thornton in terms of hype from teammates and media, and The Athletic’s Tashan Reed added to the enthusiasm around Thornton on Friday.
“Dont’e Thornton has kind of jumped out the most amongst the rookie receivers so far. Part of that is just… he has a unique build… just under six foot five, but he’s muscular and ran a four-three flat,” Reed said on the Just Win podcast this week.
“I’ve only been to three practices so far, but every practice I’ve been out there, you’ve seen him make kind of those splash plays,” Reed continued. “Whether it’s a go ball or a post or kind of those deep routes. With speed and size, he’s able to get open and then come down with those jump balls. I think really the next step for him is getting more nuanced in his route running, particularly playing at Tennessee [in college]. They kind of run a kiddie offense a little bit, and it’s pretty basic.”
“In the NFL you can’t get by with only two or three routes in your arsenal, so if he’s going to be a guy that’s a starting caliber receiver. He’s going to have to step up in that area and I think the coaching staff has been impressed by him so far… I think he’s really come on strong.”
As for the wide receiver drafted ahead of Thornton, Reed seemed to suggest Bech hasn’t been standing out quite as much.
“I think Jack Bech is trying to find his way,” Reed said of the Raiders’ second-round pick. “He’s sort of a ‘tweener player’ where throughout his college career, he played both inside and outside and I think they’re trying to figure out where is he best, you know… and he kind of has a similar skill set to Jacobi Meyers in that way, I think.”
What it’s interesting about Reed’s latest comments on Bech is they are a little less enthusiastic than what he was saying earlier in the month.
Just a few weeks ago, Reed said Bech was “consistently open” during practices, burning cornerbacks on several deep routes that “would’ve been touchdowns.”
“[Bech] was consistently open on Friday,” Reed reported from practice on May 9. “His best plays came toward the end of practice when he hauled in several deep balls during 11-on-11 drills that would’ve been touchdowns. We don’t know whether he’ll spend most of his time outside or in the slot, but he’ll be a day-one starter if he keeps up this pace.”
It’s still early in the offseason, so it’s hard to put too much stock into what’s happening on the practice field in May, but it sounds like both Raiders’ wideouts have been making plays at different points in practice.
The real test for both wide receivers will come in the preseason and even more-so in the regular season.
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