Raiders WR grateful to earn starting role as rookie: ‘It means a lot’

Running back Ashton Jeanty has drawn plenty of attention this offseason, but he won’t be the only Raiders rookie in the starting lineup Sunday for the team’s opener against the Patriots.

Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., a fourth-round pick out of Tennessee who also played at Oregon, figures to be a key part of the team’s passing attack as a dynamic downfield threat.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal sat down with the 22-year-old Baltimore native this past week to learn a little more about him:

RJ: You’re about to make your NFL debut. What’s going through your mind and what does this mean to you?

Thornton: It means a lot. My whole lifelong dream has been to be a football player and now that I’m at the highest level, it’s an amazing feeling.

RJ: The Raiders had you running with the first team from basically the beginning of organized team activities. What did it mean to you that the organization had so much confidence in you so quickly?

Thornton: For me, it really meant a lot because throughout my whole career, I was never that person. I was the person that was always seen as the underdog or whatever. But I feel like that forced me to work a lot harder to constantly try to show that I knew there was more I could do. My mindset coming here was just to work hard because in my mind I didn’t think I would be a day one starter, but I knew I could show I deserved to be. It just ended up working out that way.

RJ: What were the best and worst parts of the draft process?

Thornton: The best part was, of course, getting drafted. It was amazing to hear my name called. But the worst part was that the process just became very tiring. There was such a fear of the unknown. Where will I go, when will I go? What’s going to happen? It was very stressful.

RJ: It was important to coach Pete Carroll and everyone in the building to make sure you got a completion on a deep ball this preseason. It turned out to be a highlight of the preseason finale. Was it important to you to get that out of the way and show what you could do?

Thornton: Yeah, it was very important. Everyone knows my role in this offense is to be that deep field guy, so we have to hit on those. Knowing the team is confident in my ability to make those catches and knowing (quarterback Geno Smith) is confident in me making those catches, it means a lot.

RJ: In high school, you were class president and made the honor roll for five semesters. Where did the focus on academics come from and why was it so important to you?

Thornton: Growing up, I lived with my uncle (Faschall Grade, also known as “Uncle Fats”) for awhile. From middle school until I left for college. He set that in place. We couldn’t bring a “C” into that house. That forced me to be excellent with sports, but also on the academic side because I knew he wasn’t going to tolerate anything less.

RJ: You also spent much of your youth helping raise your four younger siblings. How did that experience help shape who you are?

Thornton: Yeah, I feel like I helped, but I feel like it was moreso all of us coming together to make it easier for my mom. I think it made me mature a lot faster because I knew there were a lot of things I had to do to make sure everyone else was good. I think it definitely helped prepare me for all of the things I have to deal with now as an adult.

RJ: You’re a big gamer. Can anyone on the team beat you in NBA2K or Call of Duty, the games you have said are currently playing most?

Thornton: 2K, yeah. Call of Duty, they’d be in trouble for sure.

RJ: How did you become a Lakers fan growing up in Baltimore?

Thornton: Dang, y’all really know everything (laughs). One of my older cousins was a Laker fan and I was with him a lot when I was younger. Whenever he would watch games, he would always talk about them. So me just being a little kid following the person I was looking up to, that ended up being my favorite team.

RJ: I know you are very into dogs and yours passed away not long ago. Is there a plan to get one now that you are getting settled in Las Vegas?

Thornton: I’m getting a dog next offseason for sure. I think it will be a Cane Corso.

RJ: Have you had a “Pete Carroll moment?”

Thornton: For sure. When I first got here we were working on a two-minute drill and I threw the ball to the ref and he dropped it. But that’s a bad thing to do in that situation. (Carroll) was yelling and I just knew he’s on top of it. He’s a great coach.

RJ: Last thing, do you have a favorite or most embarrassing moment playing with offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson at Oregon?

Thornton: Definitely a favorite. When I scored my first touchdown, he was one of the players on the field with me at the time celebrating. That was a great feeling and a great memory.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.