As Horton alluded to, the reason he was available in the fifth round and in a position to have teammates call him a steal is that his senior year at Colorado State was derailed by a knee injury that lingered into the pre-draft process. Horton was highly productive in 2022 and 2023, totaling 167 catches for 2,267 yards and 16 touchdowns in those two seasons, but an injury-shortened 2024 season hurt his draft stock, even after he ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine while far from 100 percent back from the injury.
“It was quite a push (to run at the combine) and I wasn’t 100 percent,” he said. “I wasn’t even 70 percent. That just goes to my competitive nature of going out there and seeing those other guys run. Me getting a couple runs during my training, I felt like I could go out there and wing it. We sharpened up my technique a little bit. Couldn’t do too much because I didn’t have much time and at the end of the day, I went out there and ran.
“I was mad at the combine that I ran the 4.41. I knew I had 4.3 in me. But at the end of the day, the knee wasn’t all the way there yet, but I did want to show those scouts and people that I am a competitor. I’ve been on top of my rehab game and I’m still on top of it. Now I feel like the knee is not even an issue, so I feel great.”
Like a lot of players who battle significant injuries, Horton struggled with the emotional toll of that injury, particularly because it affected his professional future. But like many others who have been through similar situations, he also found a silver lining in the injury in the way it challenged him to study the game.
“It is a huge mental toll to be out for that long and for the season,” he said. “Of course, with it being my senior year and my fifth year, I wanted to come back and achieve some things. We did achieve one of those things, which was going to a bowl game. It kind of puts you in a dark place, and I have a pretty good fanbase, shoutout to them. They kept well grounded, safe and heard. I found that mental circle for me to just stay at it. It kind of just showed me that you have to find a different drive. It is not always on the field. I looked at my rehab at a different level. I looked at my studying at a different level. I was still studying the defenses and some of the players while my team was still playing even though I couldn’t physically be out there or travel with them at the time. Just on the TV, I was calling out (the) defense and the reads, so now when I watch film and study, I ask questions, I’m asking all those because all that plays a part and you all want to be on the same wavelength.”
And now, a couple of weeks into his first camp, Horton is very much on the same wavelength with his new team’s offense, and looking like a player who could be a big factor for the Seahawks this season and beyond.
“I’m seeing the same thing you guys are,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Saturday when asked about Horton. “A wise man, Steve Smith Sr., once said, ‘Rookies need to make a play a day to make a name for themselves.’ He’s doing that. He’s making multiple plays every day. So it is great for the Seahawks, great for him, and great competition in the receiver room. We are two weeks in, but let’s keep it rolling.”