Seahawks Snag Tory Horton, Robbie Ouzts With Pair of Fifth-Round Picks

A multi-time 1,000-yard receiver at Colorado State, Tory Horton brings big play capabilities with him to the Seahawks as a fifth round pick. Credit: Tory Horton/Instagram

Seeking a vertical threat to help offset the departure of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as well as a new fullback for Klint Kubiak’s scheme, the Seattle Seahawks used their 166th and 172nd overall selections on speedy Colorado State wideout Tory Horton and Alabama thumper Robbie Ouzts to fill both needs.

Taking his talents from Fresno, California to Nevada, Horton spent two seasons with the Wolfpack before transferring to Colorado State, instantly becoming the focal point of the Rams’ offense. In his first two seasons in Fort Collins, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and scored 16 total receiving touchdowns, including a monster game against Colorado and top-three pick Travis Hunter in 2023 where he posted 16 catches for 133 yards and a score.

Horton got off to a quick start as a senior with over 350 yards in the first five games, but he suffered an significant LCL/hamstring injury that required surgery, ending his season in October with just one touchdown. He started to run a few weeks before the NFL combine, eventually running a 4.41 40-yard dash at his pro day workout and cutting that time to 4.35 seconds in the weeks leading up to the draft.

An explosive receiver who excels as a vertical threat, Horton averaged close to 16 yards per catch in 2022, including 17 receptions on passes traveling 20-plus yards for 656 yards and all eight of his receiving touchdowns. He wasn’t near as prolific in that regard in 2023, but he did a ton of damage in the intermediate passing game, catching five of his eight touchdowns on throws between 11 and 20 yards while racking up 575 yards after the catch, showing his ability to produce with the ball in his hands.

Away from his receiving contributions, Horton also had great success as a blazing fast punt return specialist at Colorado State, returning a punt for a touchdown in each of his three seasons with the program. The Seahawks struggled in that regard last season, making him a strong candidate to take over punt return duties with his new team.

While Horton brings to flash to Seattle’s offense, the same can’t be said for Ouzts, who will be making the transition from tight end to fullback in Kubiak’s offense. The physical 6-3, 274-pound blocker only caught 16 passes in four seasons with the Crimson Tide and never received a carry, but he did score a trio of touchdowns in 2023 and 2024.

Aside from seeing action out of the backfield as a lead blocker, Ouzts brings extensive special teams experience to the NFL on his resume, which should help him carve out a role to maintain a spot on the 53-man roster. He played 537 total snaps in the third phase of the game at Alabama, including 170 snaps as a blocker on the kick return team and 163 snaps on the punt coverage squad.

After adding Horton and Ouzts, the Seahawks have four picks remaining, including the 192nd selection in the sixth round and a trio of seventh round picks.