Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni was in attendance for Tennessee’s Pro Day Tuesday. While it’s not a shock to see him return to the campus he once coached, he wasn’t there just to catch up with old friends. He was there to watch WR Dont’e Thornton after his stellar Combine workout.
We spotted Azzanni watching in the background of this set of photos from reporter Ryan Sylvia. The bottom left one in the four shown below.
Dylan Sampson at Tennessee football’s 2025 Pro Day ⤵️
📸: https://t.co/kqEettS4T9 pic.twitter.com/o68CnQDf3b
— Ryan Sylvia (@RyanTSylvia) March 11, 2025
Dan Harralson captured a clearer photo of Azzanni speaking with Thornton.
Azzanni coached at Tennessee from 2013-2016 before leaving for his first NFL job with the Chicago Bears in 2017. Pittsburgh hired him in 2024.
He assisted in putting Thornton through on-field drills during his workout.
Dont’e Thornton Jr. at Tennessee’s Pro Day ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/UbtsG2nFCK
— Ryan Sylvia (@RyanTSylvia) March 11, 2025
Thornton starred at the Combine. Measuring in at 6045, 205 pounds, he ran a blazing 4.30 40-yard dash while jumping 33 inches in the vertical and 10’6″ in the broad. That produced a Relative Athletic Score of 9.80, putting him well into the top 75 receiver workouts of the last 35 years.
Dont’e Thornton is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.80 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 69 out of 3408 WR from 1987 to 2025.
Splits projected, times unofficial.https://t.co/qGrsHaDicc pic.twitter.com/htVgNxlvXG
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2025
Thornton was a big-play machine for the Volunteers. While he wasn’t a volume receiver, he averaged an incredible 25.4 yards per reception in 2024, ending the year with 26 catches for 664 yards and six touchdowns. Against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Mississippi State, he went over 100 yards on just three catches. His game was feast or famine, with nearly as many 100-yard performances (three) as games with no more than 14 yards (four), but when Thornton hit, he hit big.
An Oregon transfer, he spent the last two years in Tennessee’s hurry-up offense. A limited route tree and college-style offense make Thornton a project, but the physical tools are there for him to thrive.
Off the draft radar until his Combine, he’s now projected to be a Day Three pick in recent mock drafts. He could be selected even higher in a weaker wide receiver class based on his traits and upside.
In addition to Zach Azzanni, area scout Jarrod Highberger also attended the Volunteers’ Pro Day. In addition to Thornton, Tennessee has several other draftable prospects in: EDGE James Pearce Jr., RB Dylan Sampson, DL Omar Norman-Lott, and OL Cooper Mays.
We’ll have a full report on Thorton before April’s draft.
