TE Elijah Arroyo 'just blew me away'

The top half of the Seattle Seahawks 2025 NFL Draft class didn’t address the wide receiver position. And yet there was a rookie wide receiver that really caught the attention of Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL receiver Bryan Walters in the team’s recent offseason practices.

Well, kinda.

“What I did see is a young man out there, a new draft pick, No. 18 – and I’m not used to the numbers yet,” Walters said Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “So when I see a number out there, I’m like, look at that receiver. Look at that big receiver. Wow, he can move. And I’m thinking it’s a receiver, and it’s Elijah Arroyo, the new draft pick. The tight end.”

Considering the size of Arroyo, who is listed as 6 foot 5 and 254 pounds, it’s pretty high praise that he could make someone who played wide receiver at the highest level think that was his position. That’s a testament to how well Arroyo moves and runs routes.

“He just blew me away, some of the routes he was running,” Walters continued. “He lined up at wide receiver, I think a (cornerback) was actually against him, and he just ran like a 10-yard out route – stick your foot in the ground, roll it to 12 yards. And it looks so smooth. I just loved every part of that route.”

The 22-year-old Arroyo was selected 50th overall in the second round by the Seahawks, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said “multiple teams” had him “as a top 20-25 overall talent in the draft,” but there were “durability concerns” after he missed parts of two seasons in college at Miami with a torn ACL.

It appears Walters agrees with that assessment of Arroyo’s talent.

A nice route from @CanesFootball TE @arroyo_elijah36 who is @MoveTheSticks 49th ranked prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/ZOaukmN84g

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 28, 2025

“I’m really excited to see what happens when he gets into full pads, gets into game mode, get into those first preseason games and watch him be able to use his skills,” Walters said. “I hadn’t seen a ton of him live in person, but he’s large and he’s fast, so that was pretty cool.”

Draft analyst: Why Arroyo is Seahawks’ ‘most intriguing’ rookie

ESPN Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson, who was filling in as a guest host with Seahawks Radio Network color commentator and former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman, shared some insight after hearing Walters’ point about Arroyo that added further weight to Arroyo’s prospects as a pass-catching option.

“It makes perfect sense that you say that because when (the Seahawks) were evaluating Elijah Arroyo before the draft, there was some thought from some of the coaching staff that, hey, this guy could basically be an ‘X’ receiver in that offense,” Henderson said.

An “X” receiver lines up on the back side of the quarterback, and as Walters explained is more likely to see one-on-one matchups, run deeper routes, and have more room to work with than other receiver positions that tend to run routes in combination with other options in the passing game.

“I could totally see Elijah Arroyo being that,” Walters said. “I don’t know how he is at the goal line, but having someone that large and if he could spread them out, maybe throw some jump balls, might be something they’ll probably play around with a little bit during training camp.”

Lettin’ it fly. @JalenMilroe ➡️ @arroyo_elijah36 pic.twitter.com/nfBw6vJ7tu

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 5, 2025

Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with Seahawks analyst Bryan Walters in the podcast at this link. Catch Wyman and Bob from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

TE Elijah Arroyo ‘just blew me away’

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