Silver And Black Pride on Dont'e Thornton
From the article
Despite overshadowing NFL cornerbacks with his size, Thornton doesn't play like a 6-foot-5 wideout who can outleap and out-physical defenders at the catch point.
STACKED’s take
Thornton doesn't play to his size/speed; needs to impose himself physically and expand route tree.
Despite his elite size (6-foot-5) and speed (4.30-second 40), Thornton does not play to his physical profile. With confidence waning in 2025, he played more like 5-foot-8 teammate Tre Tucker than imposing himself on defenders; he fails to consistently outleap and out-physical cornerbacks at the catch point. The source notes that engraining belief in his size and speed advantage, playing stronger without getting locked up, and aggressively outleaping defenders for the ball in flight are must-dos in Year 2. Additionally, his route running is underdeveloped—he runs primarily straight-line deep routes rather than the full route tree demanded by offensive-minded head coach Klint Kubiak.
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