The Las Vegas Raiders entered the 2025 NFL Draft with a less-than-ideal wide receiver room.
The Raiders knew their pass-catchers were not up to par with the best groups in the AFC. General Manager John Spytek recognized the need to add talent to that position.
And that is exactly what he did.
The Raiders selected TCU’s Jack Bech in the second round and Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton Jr. in the fourth. Both players are expected to bring significant improvements to the Silver and Black passing attack, which was previously led by tight end Brock Bowers and receiver Jakobi Meyers.
The team also selected Montana State's Tommy Mellott, who played quarterback for the Bobcats but will make the switch to receiver at the next level. Mellott has impressive athleticism, despite not being very big.
Las Vegas traded for Geno Smith in March, locking down its starting quarterback. It would have been tough for him to produce for the Raiders’ offense if he did not have enough pass-catchers.
Pete Carroll, who was Smith’s coach with the Seattle Seahawks, made sure he had enough weapons to run the offense as efficiently and explosively as possible.
The Raiders now have several different flavors of receivers for Smith to work with. He will quickly become friends with Bowers, whom he will look at often in 2025.
Bowers will be the do-it-all first option at tight end, while Meyers should hold down the middle of the field and secure first-down receptions with his sure hands. How do Bech and Thornton factor in?
Bech is a receiver who can also do many things on the field. He is not the best separator, but he is a solid route runner who can produce at all three levels of the field. He is explosive and should be able to make big plays for the Raiders.
Thornton is the definition of a height-weight-speed receiver. He ran a 4.30 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, which is a rather rare feat.
Smith will enjoy tossing up jump balls to Thornton in the end zone, and he now knows the team will be able to run any passing concept because of the personnel.
Raiders fans would not have enjoyed having to watch Smith try to improvise often without a high level of wide receiver talent in the room.
They and Smith won’t have to worry now, as he has shiny new toys to play with.
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