The Las Vegas Raiders need rookie wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. to emerge down the stretch. General manager John Spytek traded veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the NFL Trade Deadline in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Bech and Thornton must take advantage of this opportunity to play extended snaps.
Bech has been especially disappointing to date. The Raiders drafted him at No. 58 overall to make an immediate impact, and he has registered just seven receptions for 73 yards thus far.
Meanwhile, Thornton has been totally inefficient. Touted as a height-weight-speed prospect coming out of Tennessee, the rawness is still evident in Thornton's game. Serving as an occasional big-play threat in Chip Kelly's offense, he's hauled in just 26% of his targets, converting 19 targets into five catches for 94 yards.
with Jakobi Meyers traded, here are all 10 targets Jack Bech has seen this season
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) November 4, 2025
the 58th overall pick
If the Raiders are a developmentally minded organization, they would play him over Tyler Lockett in 2WR sets opposite Tre Tucker
(even if they're different profiles) pic.twitter.com/LuSdrVoS3J
The 2-6 Raiders must commit to developing Bech and Thornton down the stretch here. Thornton was inactive in Week 9 in favor of an aging, past-his-prime Tyler Lockett in Week 9. That's simply unacceptable moving forward.
Superstar tight end Brock Bowers returned from a knee injury in Week 9 to record 12 receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Meyers' departure essentially guarantees Bowers will continue seeing a heavy volume of targets thrown his way. Tre Tucker is the new No. 1 wide receiver. Bech and Thornton should fill the other spots in 11 personnel with Lockett playing the occasional snap.
The Raiders' 2025 season has not gone according to plan. Pete Carroll had designs on his team being instant contenders. That's precisely why they acquired Geno Smith at quarterback and drafted Ashton Jeanty. At 2-6, reality hits hard and Carroll must shift his attention to developing future solutions like Bech and Thornton.
Carroll on WR Jack Bech: "He's role is becoming clear"
— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) November 5, 2025
There's a decent chance the Raiders admit defeat and release Smith this offseason. They're currently scheduled to earn the No. 7 overall selection in April’s draft. If the Raiders end up drafting a quarterback like Ty Simpson or Dante Moore, it would be beneficial if young weapons like Bech and Thornton were ready to help that quarterback. They can only do that by getting on-the-job experience.
It has to start with Bech being productive. The Raiders made him the eighth overall receiver selected during the 2025 NFL Draft. There's an expectation attached to that. Several receivers drafted after Bech have made larger, quicker contributions.
Bech is only averaging 1.06 yards per route run this season, but his average depth of target (aDOT, small sample size) is 11.1, per Pro Football Focus. It's been similar for Thornton, who is averaging 0.64 yards per route run, with an aDOT of 18.4. The stark difference in both numbers highlights their per-snap ineffectiveness to date.
The 2-6 Raiders should be rebuilding. Meyers' departure creates opportunities for Bech and Thornton to make larger impacts on offense than they've had to date. The Raiders need to embrace their rookie receivers and support them by ensuring they get more passing-down targets moving forward.
