Without much proven production behind Jakobi Meyers, Raiders rookie WRs have a shot

HENDERSON, Nev. -- It was a tiny illustration size, but Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s imaginable was noticeable successful the archetypal week of the Las Vegas Raiders' OTAs past month.

During the squad play of practice, backmost Geno Smith rolled to his close earlier throwing an intermediate walk to the backmost of the extremity zone, slipping the shot past choky sum arsenic receiver Thornton secured the touchdown grab.

In April, Las Vegas drafted Thornton successful the 4th circular with the anticipation that plays akin to the 1 helium made successful signifier volition construe to the regular play and beyond.

Thornton is successful the aboriginal signifier of learning the discourtesy and polishing his way running. At the aforesaid time, Thornton and chap rookie wideout Jack Bech's improvement could beryllium important successful the occurrence of the Raiders' discourtesy successful 2025.

Outside of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who recorded 1,027 receiving yards past season, there's a abrupt diminution successful accumulation amongst Las Vegas' wide receivers. The remainder of the country combined to drawback 50 passes for 570 yards and 3 touchdowns successful 2024. If the Raiders genuinely privation to maximize their clip with Smith nether center, it mightiness travel down to Thornton and Bech transforming into contiguous contributors.

"There's a batch of endowment successful that room," Raiders wide receiver manager Chris Beatty told ESPN. "It's our occupation to marque definite that we enactment them successful positions to maximize the endowment they person and effort to lessen the learning curve arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin for them."

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said Thornton is simply a "unique" player. At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, the erstwhile Tennessee wideout is simply a large people but has blazing speed. Thornton completed the 40-yard dash successful 4.3 seconds during the NFL harvester successful February.

Thornton's velocity made him a big-play menace for the Volunteers. Last year, Thornton -- who played 2 seasons astatine Oregon earlier transferring to Tennessee successful 2023 -- led the federation successful yards per drawback (25.4) and catches for 50-plus yards (six).

The Maryland autochthonal besides had 73.1% of his receptions effect successful a archetypal down oregon a touchdown.

"He's conscionable a hairsbreadth nether 6-5 and helium ran 4.3. There's not a batch of humans connected this satellite [who] bash that," Kelly said. "I deliberation if you had a gully up an extracurricular receiver, you would prime that benignant of assemblage type, idiosyncratic that's got length, idiosyncratic that's got a immense drawback radius, but besides has speed."

Thornton passes the oculus trial successful presumption of carnal traits. And helium has the imaginable to unfastened up the passing crippled successful a large way. Not lone tin helium beryllium a deep-ball people for Smith, but helium could beryllium utilized arsenic a decoy to make opportunities for underneath throws.

However, Thornton has a steep learning curve. One of the biggest concerns astir Thornton successful the draught was his imperfect way tree, which limits what helium tin bash connected the field. In addition, helium had a debased measurement of targets during his assemblage career. Thornton was targeted 96 times successful 48 games.

"There are a batch of things helium wants to enactment on, arsenic acold arsenic polishing his way moving releases," said Beatty, who was the Chicago Bears' interim violative coordinator successful 2024. "For a taller guy, we've got to enactment connected knowing the full scheme, truthful everything slows down for him. He's done a large occupation truthful far, but he's got a agelong mode to spell to get wherever he's going to beryllium capable to beryllium a contributor close away."

Bech, the Raiders' second-round pick, has the physicality and shot skills to solidify the relation arsenic WR3. In his last play astatine TCU, Bech had 17 contested catches and generated 339 yards aft the catch.

He besides provides Kelly the flexibility to enactment him up either connected the extracurricular oregon successful the slot. He had 24 catches for 455 yards successful the slot and caught 36 passes for 564 yards arsenic an extracurricular receiver. And since the Raiders are expected to beryllium a run-heavy offense, Bech's quality arsenic a blocker besides opens the doorway for country to play meaningful snaps.

"He'll artifact similar crazy," manager Pete Carroll said.

Tommy Mellott, a sixth-round prime retired of Montana State, is an absorbing case, arsenic helium switched from backmost to wide receiver. For Mellott, velocity is his strongest attribute. That trait volition assistance him connected peculiar teams, but offensively, helium could go a dependable beingness successful the slot oregon beryllium utilized successful wildcat formations.

Beatty said Mellott provides a antithetic position owed to his backmost background. Throughout OTAs and rookie minicamp, the coaching unit has been moving diligently connected teaching Mellott to navigate done coverages.

"He's getting amended each day, and that's to beryllium expected," Beatty said.

When looking astatine the extent astatine wide receiver, each rookie has an accidental to gain important playing time. Third-year wideout Tre Tucker -- 47 catches, 539 yards and 3 touchdowns successful 2024 -- is projected arsenic WR2. From there, the contention is wide open. Alex Bachman has 31 vocation receiving yards. Kyle Philips hasn't played since 2023.

The Raiders' violative occurrence volition not solely travel down to their rookie wide receivers. Meyers has proven to beryllium a dependable target. Meanwhile, second-year choky extremity Brock Bowers already has a beardown lawsuit for being the champion subordinate astatine his position. He had 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and 5 touchdowns arsenic a rookie.

But if Las Vegas wants to unrecorded up to its afloat potential, it's going to instrumentality 1 of these young players to measurement up successful a large way.

"Everybody's connected a antithetic level erstwhile they travel in, and it's conscionable a substance of them getting acclimated," Kelly said. " ... [Thornton and Bech] person shown that they're bully players, and we'll proceed to spot however they go."