Scouting report for Seattle Seahawks' fifth-round draft pick Tory Horton

Seahawks add Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton in fifth round of 2025 NFL draft

CSU football wide receiver Tory Horton can only look on from the sideline after being limited with a muscle injury against Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. | Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks have selected Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. While many expected the team to add a wide receiver early, Seattle focused on its upgrading its offensive line and defense on the first two days of the draft.

Horton missed much of the 2024 season due to a knee injury but dominated the previous two years at Colorado State. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound wideout recorded 96 catches for 1,144 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2023.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein projected Horton as a fourth-round pick in his 2025 scouting report.

"Productive fifth-year senior and two-time team captain whose 2024 season was cut short by a knee surgery," wrote Zierlein. "Horton is a loose athlete with quality speed and above-average cut quickness. He’s an instinctive route runner with a feel for burst timing and he rarely drops what is thrown his way."

While Horton could struggle against bigger, more physical cornerbacks, Zierlein thinks he can develop into a quality third wide receiver at the NFL level:

"Big press corners are likely to slow him and take a bite out of his effectiveness, but motion and bunch formations could solve that problem. He can knife through the heart of zone defenses and is competitive at the catch point but can be overtaken on 50/50 balls by length and size. If healthy, Horton has WR3 upside."

The Seahawks needed wide receiver help after releasing Tyler Lockett and trading away DK Metcalf at the start of NFL free agency. Horton can give the team a quality No. 3 option for quarterback Sam Darnold this season in Seattle.

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