in the late fifth or early sixth round by NFL Scouts. Scouts said that he had great strength and quick hands, and was very versatile on the defensive line with good bursts of speed. He was said to have short arms and small hands and could do a better job working off blocks and protecting his legs. Stamina was a concern, as was his lack of pass rush moves. He missed a lot of tackles and did not have that many sacks. Scouts were concerned that he did not face top talent at the collegiate level. One of scout's biggest concerns was how often he took plays off from the game. He offered a rebuttal about taking plays off saying that he still ran towards the ball and that he never gave up on a play, and that he always encouraged his teammates to do the same. Overall, he was projected to be a project player and a good fit in schemes used by the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, or Pittsburgh Steelers Thornton was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round (85th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the fifth defensive lineman drafted by Packers' General Manager Ted Thompson in three years. Mike Mayock commented that the Packers had drafted a player who "flies all over the field. He can play inside, but he moves along the line of scrimmage. There's an energy, there's a motor." Thornton admitted that he was surprised to hear his name as one of the Packers' two picks in the third round. Thompson has said that Khyri kept catching the Packers' eye even though he didn't play on a team that won a lot of games. It was predicted by the media that the Packers would move him from defensive tackle to defensive end or they would attempt to convert him to nose tackle. He was not projected to star in the scheme, but was expected to be part of the defensive rotation Green Bay Packers Thornton signed his rookie contract on May 19, 2014. His former defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, Derrick LeBlanc commented that Green Bay was going to get a guy who would work hard every day and that he has the talents for a long career in the NFL. During training camp, Thornton noted that he had played in five schemes in five years while