Las Vegas Raiders WR Dont'e Thornton catches first preseason touchdown

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton caught his first career professional touchdown Saturday night in a preseason matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

Thornton, who was selected with the No. 108 overall pick in the Fourth Round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Raiders, hauled in a 17-yard score from quarterback Geno Smith to give Las Vegas a 7-0 lead with 9:01 remaining in the first quarter.

Geno Smith to Dont'e Thornton Jr. for the @raiders TD!

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— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2025

Thornton was a four-star recruit coming out of Mount Saint Joseph (Baltimore, MD) in the Class of 2021, where he was tabbed the No. 71 overall ranked player in the country. He originally committed to Oregon, but things didn’t quite pan out in Eugene. In two seasons with the Ducks, Thornton hauled in just 26 receptions for 541 yards and three touchdowns.

Following his sophomore season, Thornton entered the Transfer Portal and transferred to Tennessee. He excelled over his two seasons with the Volunteers, as he caught 39 passes for 885 yards and seven touchdowns. His best career game came in Tennessee‘s 36-23 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 30, 2024, where he hauled in three receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

In just his first season of NFL football, Thornton is expected to be one of the Raiders lead wide receivers this season along with veteran Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. He is just 11 receivers currently on Las Vegas’ roster, but should be in no danger of missing the 53-man roster when it makes cuts next week.