The Raiders made a massive move this offseason to improve their wide receiver unit. They traded their top two picks on Davante Adams and now suddenly have a deep wide receiver group.
However, they have yet to find someone that can take the top off the defense. They tried to replace Henry Ruggs with DeSean Jackson and that didn’t really pan out. So could the Raiders look to Day 3 of the draft to find speed?
In a recent mock draft by Tashan Reed from The Athletic, he had the Raiders addressing their lack of speed in the fifth round with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton from Baylor. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about the speedy receiver:
“There’s a solid chance that players taken in the fifth round and later may not make the roster, and that lack of pressure frees teams up to make bets on traits. That sums up Thornton, who flashes a rare combination of size and speed as someone who’s 6-2, 181 pounds but ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
He had his best college season with 62 catches for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021, but was largely up and down throughout his career in terms of production. He’s limited in his releases off the line of scrimmage and route running, but it’s easy to see him stepping in as an immediate deep threat who opposing defenses have to respect.”
Thornton did lead Baylor in receiving yards during the 2021 season and he was named a second-team All-Big 12 selection. While he’s far from a polished receiver, he can absolutely fly. And that’s what the Raiders are currently lacking in their wide receiver room.
While he’s not likely to be a starting-level receiver anytime soon, he could operate as the No. 4 or No. 5 receiver in Josh McDaniels’ offense right away. And considering the Raiders have already met with him before the draft, it’s likely he will be a target for them sometime on Day 3.