Pete Carroll’s assistant Chip Kelly warns NFL about Geno Smith’s weapon in the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are having a complete overhaul this offseason. Pete Carroll is the new head coach and with him, a new culture is brewing in Sin City. Carroll will have known faces in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Geno Smith. Now, Kelly gave huge news for the Raiders’ fanbase regarding a rookie.

It seems like every year the NFL Scouting Combine makes a star. Rookies with not that much of a stock elevate themselves by showing their skills. Famously, D.K. Metcalf became an overnight sensation by his Combine performance. In 2025, it was wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. who maximized his time in front of the scouts.

The Tennessee alumn posted absurd numbers like a 4.3 40-yard dash time. When you combine that with his huge 6-foot-5 frame, Thornton is sort of a unicorn in the NFL. That tempted the Raiders, who drafted him in the fourth round despite little to no college production.

Kelly said to Raiders.com the following, “I think Dont’e is unique in terms of he’s just a hair under 6-5 and he ran 4.3. There’s not a lot of humans on this planet that do that.” Kelly then added, “And I think if you had a draw up an outside receiver, you would pick that type of body type, someone that’s got length, someone that’s got a huge catch radius, but also has speed.”

Dont’e Thornton Jr. #10 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs during mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 10, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada.

Dont’e Thornton must exploit his physical talents

His physical attributes are the mere reason the Raiders drafted Thornton. He played four years in college, with both Tennessee and Oregon. However, his stats are not stellar. He never surpassed more than 661 yards in a season, he scored 10 touchdowns in his total college career and has only 65 catches.

see also

NFL News: Raiders HC Pete Carroll adds former Joe Burrow teammate as Tom Brady watches the roster grow

Geno Smith knows how to exploit physically superior receivers. The QB had the aforementioned D.K. Metcalf as a teammate in Seattle. Now, he will see Thornton as a great weapon if the rookie can develop into a good target.

There is another rookie ready to make waves for the Raiders

Of course, there is one rookie who everybody predicts will produce like crazy in the league. That is running back Ashton Jeanty. He was selected 6th overall by Las Vegas and his talent might put him as a top back in the NFL instantly.

Jeanty will have to share snaps with veteran Raheem Mostert at first, but the feeling is he will develop into a workhorse eventually. His speed and explosiveness are too good to divide snaps.