Last year, both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett had down years for the Seattle Seahawks, and there was nobody around to pick up the slack. The next leading wide receiver, after Metcalf, Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, was Jake Bobo. He caught thirteen balls for 107 yards. That works out to 8.2 yards per catch. That was the best production Seattle got from a backup wide receiver in 2024.
Smith-Njigba is back, set up to play an even larger role in 2025. Metcalf and Lockett are gone. In their places, Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will hopefully be able to produce decent numbers. That remains an open question.
But what seems almost certain is that Seattle will get more out of the number four receiver this season. Just a few days into camp, rookie Tory Horton is showing why John Schneider was so happy to get the Colorado State star in round five of the 2025 draft.
Tory Horton could have a big rookie campaign for the Seahawks
Based on his college production, getting Horton in round five was a bargain.
After two years at Nevada, Horton followed coach Jay Norvell when he took the top spot ot Colorado State in 2022. In his first two seasons with the Rams, Horton snared 167 balls for better than 2,000 yards. A knee injury limited him to five games during his final college season, and that most likely caused him to slide a round or two in the draft.
Horton seems fully healthy and ready to turn some heads with Seattle. He has already made a number of strong catches in practice, including multiple grabs on deep throws. Sam Darnold has praised how quickly the rookie is picking up the offense, something that allows him to play fast and with confidence.
With this trajectory, Horton could certainly overtake Bobo, or whoever else might be in line for fourth receiver duties. He may even begin to push MVS for snaps at the outside Z spot. Horton played a lot on the perimeter at Nevada, and then expanded his route tree by occasionally manning the slot in Colorado.
He has great length and very good speed. He glides in space very well. The biggest challenge he will face will come when he has to battle bigger NFL corners. Horton’s long, slender frame needs a little more strength to avoid being knocked off his routes.
That puts limitations on playing him at the X spot, which typically sets up on the line. Running out of the Z or the slot will give him a little extra room to use his quickness and avoid bumps.
That quickness should be another huge factor for the Seahawks. Last year, Jaelon Darden and Dee Williams returned 25 punts with an average of 7.5 yards per return. That’s not awful, but it’s not very good either. The longest punt return any Seahawk had for the year was 23 yards.
In college, Horton more than doubled that return average. Three of his returns went for more than 70 yards. Of course, that does not mean he will have the same success in the NFL, but he will certainly get the chance to show what he can do.
He is already showing what he can do as a receiver. Early reports say he looks comfortable beyond his years. Most importantly, his quarterback is noticing. Though early on, Horton has been working a lot with the second team offense and QB Drew Lock, Darnold has seen how quickly the rookie is adapting.
If he continues to progress, look for Horton to start running plays with the first teamers and perhaps begin forging a connection with Darnold. That could pay big dividends very soon.