Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech participated in their first padded NFL practice Monday, both coming away with touchdowns in impressive fashion.
Thornton lined up against fellow rookie Darien Porter on the left side. His responsibility as the backside receiver was to run a deep corner route toward the end zone. No easy task against Porter either, who shares similar physical attributes and the same 40-yard dash time.
“I just felt like it was one of those plays where Geno [Smith] took the matchup because it ended up being a one-on-one situation and that’s how it played out,” Thornton said.
The 6-foot-4 receiver got a step on Porter about 20 yards off the line of scrimmage, and Smith dropped it in for the touchdown. While Smith is known for his ability to connect on the deep ball, it speaks volumes that the veteran quarterback has already taken a knack to finding the rookie in those situations as their chemistry grows.
“I’m very confident in those one-on-one matchups, but I’m even more confident because I know Geno is going to take a shot with that,” Thornton added. “Like he tells me every single day, if you’ve got a one-on-one matchup, I’m coming to you. So, that lets me know that I got to win every time I get one-on-ones because he’s going to throw the ball to me.”
As for Bech, it was his second straight practice with a touchdown grab, both coming from Aidan O’Connell. Monday’s grab was impressive, wrangling the ball away from a defender during red zone period near the left side pylon.
“It’s all about just the scheme and what all the coaches are talking about,” Bech said of his catches. “Just being able to attack leverage, uncover the DB’s leverage, find the ways for the QB to get a throwing window to you and going out to make plays.”