Who Should I Start? Pat Bryant or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Wednesday, July 2, 6:24 PM

Denver Broncos rookie third-round wide receiver Pat Bryant consistently showed physicality to win contested catches during the team's offseason program, according to ESPN's Jeff Legwold. Additionally, quarterback Bo Nix showed the confidence to target Bryant in tight situations. Consistent playing time could be hard to come by with Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin getting most of the work with the starters, but Legwold thinks Bryant will be in the mix if he builds on his offseason work in training camp and the preseason. The 22-year-old from Illinois isn't a burner by any means, but the Broncos saw a precise route-runner who consistently created space with an explosive release off the line of scrimmage. Bryant has been compared to former Saints wideout Michael Thomas, who had quite a run in Sean Payton's offense in New Orleans. For now, Bryant is one to watch with training camp approaching.

Friday, June 13, 1:08 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie fourth-round wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. made strides during the offseason, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden. Thornton caught a touchdown during the red-zone period during the first day of mandatory minicamp this week and also made an impressive catch in the middle of the field on Thursday. The 22-year-old spent a good amount of time working with the first-team offense, with the Raiders occasionally lining him and Tre Tucker up on the outside and Jakobi Meyers in the slot. The 6-foot-5 wideout has a unique blend of size and speed and ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the combine. The Raiders are expecting the Tennessee product to give them juice in the vertical passing attack. Thornton will likely be competing for playing time with Tucker as more of a boom/bust deep threat in fantasy.