Could Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tory Horton be the steal of the 2025 NFL Draft?
It’s only preseason, but it is certainly looking that way, especially if you ask his teammates who are already buzzing about the young wide receiver and linking him to an NFL legend.
Could this be an overreaction for a player selected with the No. 166 overall pick in the draft?
Not really.
In an offseason in which the Seahawks traded away their best receiver in D.K. Metcalf, it would be fitting that the team that plays in the Emerald City find a mid-round gem. In Horton, the Seahawks selected a player who has the talent to be a much higher draft pick if not for a knee injury that kept him out the second half of the 2024 season while at Colorado State.
At 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Horton has the size, athleticism and speed to be a problem in the NFL. In just 6 games in 2024, Horton hauled in 26 passes for 353 yards and a touchdown. He also showcased his punt returner skills with a 26.3 yards per return average and a touchdown.
You better believe the Seahawks will utilize those skills at the next level. Horton, who has impressed throughout training camp, elevated that excitement with a strong preseason debut. With 3 catches for 31 yards, the rookie continues to make a statement as a player who should’ve been drafted higher and a draft pick trending as the most pivotal for this NFC West squad
Tory Horton changes the game for the Seahawks’ receiving group
The Seahawks didn’t do much in the 2025 NFL Draft to improve their receiver group other than selecting Horton in the fifth round. They also selected tight end Elijah Arroyo in the second round, but as far as receivers, Seattle is riding with Cooper Kupp, Marquez Vales-Scanting and the hope that is Horton, a player NFL.com’s Dan Parr sees as more than just hype.
He writes:
“Horton hype is reaching a fever pitch, and I’m not about to throw any cold water around. I like first-round pick Grey Zabel and second-rounder Nick Emmanwori, too, but they’re not generating buzz like Horton, who is being referred to as “Jerry Rice Jr.” and the “steal of the draft” by his teammates. Horton might have gone much earlier in April if a knee injury hadn’t wiped out the second half of his senior season at Colorado State. He’s making the injury seem like a distant memory with his performance so far, making multiple plays each day, per head coach Mike Macdonald. Seattle revamped its receiving corps thinking Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be the offseason-addition attention-getters in camp, but Horton has crashed the party, much to the delight of the Seahawks.”
NFL Mocks agrees with Parr her about how pivotal Horton could be in the Seahawks’ offense. If he continues to shine and look like the player, he was prior to his knee injury, he will turn out to be the Seahawks’ best draft pick in 2025. Now, that doesn’t mean Arroyo, first round pick Grey Zabel and second-round pick Nick Emmanwori won’t make an impact. It just means has a chance to change the game at wide receiver for the Seahawks.
With a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, the development of a player like Horton is most important because it would give the QB another target and take pressure off veterans like Kupp and Valdes-Scantling who already have mileage on them, especially if he keeps looking like a young Jerry Rice.