Big-Play Receiver, Returner Having NFL Draft Visit with Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Colorado State’s Tory Horton had his pro day in the cold and snow of Fort Collins. Playing on the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field would be second nature.

Horton, a premier playmaker at receiver and returner, was in Green Bay on Wednesday for a predraft visit with the Packers, according to his Instagram.

Horton would have generated a lot more buzz in the draft process if not for a knee injury that limited him to five games in 2024. Horton was first-team all-Mountain West Conference in 2022, when he caught 71 passes for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns, and again in 2023, when he caught 96 passes for 1,136 yards and eight more touchdowns. He led the conference in receptions in 2023 and receiving yards in 2022.

However, the torn LCL limited him to 26 receptions for 353 yards and one score in 2024. He’s healthy and ready to roll, though. Having been cleared to run only a few weeks earlier, he made a “last-minute decision” to test at the Scouting Combine and ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds with a 37.5-inch vertical jump. He was fully cleared only a few weeks ago; he ran routes in the cold at pro day.

“I feel great in the spot I’m in health-wise,” Horton told reporters at pro day. “Physically and mentally, I feel great. No worries about the knee at all.”

Including two seasons at Nevada to start his career, Horton’s 3,615 career receiving yards fell just 45 yards short of the Mountain West record.

Horton is much more than a receiver, which would bring added appeal for the Packers. He had a punt return touchdown in each of his three seasons. His career average on punt returns is 16.3 yards, with the three touchdowns all longer than 75 yards.

“Somebody is going to get a steal when they pick him,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said.

At 6-foot-2 1/2 and with excellent speed, Horton has the ability to replicate some of Christian Watson’s field-stretching ability. Horton caught 17-of-32 deep passes in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus, but wasn’t nearly as effective the past two seasons, though some of that is obviously quarterback-dependent.

He’s only 196 pounds, though. With 9-inch hands, he dropped eight passes in 2022 (10.1 percent) but only a combined five the last two seasons (3.9 percent).

“I feel like the knee is doing great. The routes felt good, speed feels good,” he said at pro day. “I talked to the surgeon, he said, ‘There’s nothing to worry about. Your knee’s going to be better than the last knee,’ so I feel real confident in my cuts and getting in and out of my breaks.”

Horton said he “shocked” scouts with his decision to go through testing at the Scouting Combine, even though he hadn’t been cleared for long. He further showed his competitive nature at pro day. He could have gone through drills in the team’s indoor facility. Instead, he opted for the great outdoors.

“It shows that competitive and mental standpoint of going out there in those cold and windy conditions and still keeping my routes crisp,” he said. “I felt good with my cuts and I felt explosive out of my breaks, even though it was windy and kind of cold out there.”

Horton is a potential third-round pick. He is the No. 13 receiver prospect, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and the No. 16 receiver at NFL.com.

“Shoot, I’m a competitor,” he said of what he’ll bring to the NFL. “I’m a versatile receiver. With my kind of length, I can go in and out. I feel like I’ve got a variety of things I can accomplish at the next level.”

Horton would have to change his number in Green Bay. At Colorado State, he wore No. 14. That jersey was worn by Don Hutson and has been retired.

Horton is one of six receivers who visited Lambeau.

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