Tory Horton was a fifth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025 draft.
At first, it seemed like Horton would contribute in the return game as a rookie and play a complimentary role in the offense. However, the Colorado State product began impressing immediately at camp and worked his way up the depth chart this summer.
In fact, the team believed in Horton so much that veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was presumably brought in to be a starter, got cut before opening day. As a result. the rookie was slotted into the starting outside receiver spot opposite Cooper Kupp from the jump.
Through three games, Horton has performed well. The rookie currently has five catches for 64 yards and two scores. Horton's two receiving scores lead the team and the rookie also returned a punt back for a 95-yard touchdown already.
It's probably not surprising then, that Horton's coaches are praising him. On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was asked by Seahawks insider Brian Nemhauser if he's ever coached a rookie receiver that Horton reminds him of.
The coach went on to describe a specific receiver, but initially refused to reveal who he was talking about. After some prodding, Kubiak revealed that he was indeed talking about Justin Jefferson.
Kubiak was the quarterbacks coach for the Vikings in 2019 and 2020 and then was the offensive coordinator for the team in 2021. Jefferson debuted in 2020 and almost immediately showed that he was going to be a problem in the NFL.
As a rookie, Jefferson caught 88 yards for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. The receiver earned a Pro Bowl bid for his efforts, and has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his five completed seasons.
It may seem like a crazy comparison, but there are some notable reasons that it makes sense. For example, Jefferson and Horton are a similar height and weight, similar 40-yard dash times, similar hand size, and an identical vertical.
Of course, measurements aren't everything, but it still has to be encouraging how Horton has performed so far. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are the only receivers on the team to receive more targets than Horton this season, and it's likely the rookie will only see more as the season goes on.
The Seahawks have a 2-1 record after throttling the New Orleans Saints in Week 3 and will face the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football in Week 4.