Good post CUPackfan and its unfortunate that after all these years of draft & develop some fans and media still don't get it. Thornton, like many players is drafted one year in advance of when they need him. Raji is on a 1- year deal and would have either: played well and been re-signed or not played well and dumped.
TT wanted to have options and sometimes those options need time to develop. The injury to Raji moved up the timetable, but the strategy is sound. GB wanted a year with the new kid before they had to make the Raji decision
Those that advocate for dumping Thornton based on a 2 month development are just willfully ignorant of what's been going on in GB since 2005. I have no patience for those unwilling or incapable of understanding the basics of how this team operates - there's a plethora of info available for those willing to apply even a small amount of effort to learn.
We're going on a decade now and anybody still spewing dumdum comments about draft pick busts 2 months into their career is just willfully stupid.