They've tried through the draft and it simply hasn't worked out. Thornton has to earn the targets, you can't force it if it's not happening (and at best he's still a question mark heading into the season). Hopkins has been an elite WR throughout his career and he will represents a significant upgrade to our WR corps.
Look at just the AFC East...
Allen --> Diggs & Davis
Tua --> Hill & Waddle
Rodgers --> Wilson & Lazard
Mac --> JuJu & Parker is a distant fourth among these divisional groups. Then add in some of the other QB/WR groupings in the remainder of the conference (CIN, BAL, CLE, JAX, KAN, LAC... DEN is going to be better, Garoppolo will make some noise with LVR if he's healthy, and I like what PIT is building around Pickett). Mac's not an elite quarterback like many of these others guys (Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert, Lamar, Watson, Rodgers, and Lawrence specifically) so he especially needs a very strong supporting cast. I like Tua, but is he really that good (NFL best passer rating of 105.5)?... probably not but he looked like an MVP candidate with Hill and Waddle running circles around helpless DBs.
I want to see a fair fight. Mac --> Hopkins, JuJu, Parker, Bourne, Henry, Gesicki, and a very strong run game led by Stevenson... that's an offense I can start to believe in for the 2023 season.