CSU football's senior wide receiver Tory Horton looks on into the setting sun before the Border War against Wyoming at War Memorial Stadium on Friday Nov. 3, 2023 in Laramie, Wyo. Cris Tiller/For the Coloradoan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN: Seahawks Day 3 NFL draft pick already has 'airtight' case to make 53-man roster

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 2:00 PM ET

It's of course entirely too early to really know, but so far everything coming out of training camp for the Seattle Seahawks indicates that they've put together a special 2025 rookie class. After the NFL draft, Seattle got high marks from virtually every media outlet - and every nugget we've heard thus far shows they were right.

Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe is making plays with his legs and with his arm, Nick Emmanwori is already a stud on the back end, Grey Zabel is settling in quick up front and even fifth-rounder Tory Horton Jr. is making a name for himself.

According to Brady Henderson at ESPN, Horton already has an airtight case to make the initial 53-man roster at the end of the month.

ESPN on Seahawks rookie Tory Horton

"Rookie wide receiver Tory Horton is making an airtight case for a spot on the 53-man roster. A week and a half into training camp, the question with Seattle's fifth-round pick no longer seems to be about his health or his chances of making the team but rather how much he could contribute right away."

Per Henderson, among the plays that Horton made during Friday's practice included a toe-tapper on the sideline, a tough mid-air adjustment and a double-move that burned his defender bad. The real highlight was this touchdown catch on a perfectly-thrown spiral from Sam Darnold.

Sam Darnold to Tory Horton for TD

That catch though. ‍

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— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 2, 2025

Horton dropped some very impressive numbers during his time at Colorado State, totaling over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 and 2023. The reason he fell into the fifth round likely has to do with the knee injury he suffered last season that sidelined him for all but six games.

However, the early chatter from camp indicates that Horton is fully recovered - or at least healthy enough to make multiple eye-catching plays against what should be one of the toughest defensive units in the NFL this year.

More evidence that Seattle's receiver corps may not have the same star-power they had with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but they could very wll be deeper overall now than they were last year.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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