Tory Horton idolized Davante Adams as a kid growing up in Fresno. Now, the Seattle Seahawks‘ rookie wide receiver might get the chance to show his idol what he’s made of when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in a heavyweight NFC West tilt at SoFi Stadium on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Horton, who grew up attending Fresno State games and watching Adams in college before he became an All-Pro wide receiver, told me that he’s closely followed the Rams’ star’s career in the NFL. He’s looking forward to possibly meeting Adams on Sunday, but Horton admitted that it might be an unusual moment.
“It’s going to be a little weird,” Horton told me about possibly meeting Adams on Sunday. “I hope I can at least say what’s up to him. I’ve been following his journey for a very long time, so that’d be a cool little moment to at least get to say what’s up to him. I’m going to be excited for that. That’s one of my favorite players for sure.”
Horton has shown in his first season in the league that he can make dynamic plays like Adams. Selected in the fifth round out of Colorado State, Horton has 13 receptions for 161 yards and five touchdowns this season. He also has a 95-yard punt return for a score — the longest punt return for a touchdown in franchise history.
Horton’s breakout game occurred in Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. In a spot start for injured receiver Cooper Kupp, Horton finished with four receptions for 48 yards and two scores. He did not play last week against the Arizona Cardinals due to shin and groin injuries. However, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said it’s looking positive and he’s optimistic Horton will play in an important matchup against the Rams, with both teams sitting atop the NFC West at 7-2.
Earlier this season, Horton received some lofty praise from Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who said his skill set reminded him of the best receivers in the business, Justin Jefferson.
Horton said he appreciated the kudos.
“It got brought up to me,” Horton told me, chuckling. “It’s nice to hear that. Of course, Justin Jefferson is at the top of the league and has a ton of production. It’s nice motivation, but I just come in ready to work and want to get better every day.”
At 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, Horton is a rangy, big target with good speed to serve as a vertical threat in Seattle’s explosive offense. He ran a sizzling, 4.41-second 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. And Horton has always had a nose for the end zone, with 33 career touchdowns in high school and 23 in college, including stops at Nevada and Colorado State.
“I just feel like the ball finds energy, and I just make sure I’m at the right spot at the right time,” Horton said about his ability to get in the end zone. “I’ve just kind of made the most of the opportunities, and it’s been a blessing. The ball finds energy, so I try to keep that energy high, keep going out there and making plays.”
Horton said by consistently doing your assignment each play, whether it’s run blocking or running a defender off on a deep route to create a play for your teammate, it allows you to be in the right position at the right time to make a play.
As a team, the Seahawks are third in points scored per game (30.6), sixth in passing yards per game (246) and Seattle is tops in the NFL with nine passing plays of at least 40 yards. Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the league with 1,041 receiving yards on 63 receptions with five touchdowns.
Tory Horton (left) has complemented Jaxon Smith-Njigba (right) well so far this season, with Smith-Njigba leading the league in receiving yards. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
A free agent addition from the Rams, who’s playing against his former team for the first time, Kupp has 26 receptions for 367 yards and a score. And the Seahawks secured another explosive playmaker from the New Orleans Saints in a trade for Rashid Shaheed. Add Horton to that mix, and Seattle has one of the more formidable receiving rooms in the NFL.
Horton said he’s been helped by having a veteran like Kupp in the receiver room, along with one of the most talented receivers in the league in Smith-Njigba.
“He’s a guru,” Horton told me about Kupp. “He sleeps, eats and breathes football. And that’s just something you want in a guy like that, especially a vet. He knows the game like the front to the back of his hand, like it’s nothing. So just having him in the room is a great thing to have as a young guy coming in.”
A pitcher and outfielder in high school, Horton said his first love was baseball growing up. Those thousands of reps chasing down baseballs in center field helped with tracking the football as a receiver.
“Growing up, seeing the baseball of the bat, you learn how to track it,” Horton said. “It can be coming off a bat or from a QB’s arm, you look up to track the ball, and I felt like that helped me a lot growing up. Just having that tracking skill to go find the ball and get it at its highest point, things like that. I feel like that’s played a big role in who I am as a receiver.”
Tory Horton credited his days playing baseball as a kid for helping him track balls in the air as a wide receiver and returner. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Horton also had to deal with some adversity in college, suffering a right knee injury five games into his final season at Colorado State that required season-ending surgery. Horton dropped in the draft because of the injury, but said it helped him focus on taking care of his body as a professional, developing a detailed recovery program to make sure he can stay on the field.
“It just took my mental game to the next level, dealing with the injury,” Horton said. “You can’t do the things you normally do physically, so I feel like it kind of helped my mental game. I upped my film study to study different coverages and things like that, to get a slight edge on the defense or who I’m going up against. So, I feel like that helped a lot.”
Horton will put those new study habits and resiliency to work in a big game against the Rams, with childhood idol in Adams watching from the other sideline.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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