INDIANAPOLIS – Colorado State WR Tory Horton has been on NFL teams’ radars since the 2022 season, his redshirt sophomore year, when he put up 71 receptions for a Mountain West Conference-high 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns. He put up better numbers in 2023 with 96 receptions for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns but opted to return to school in 2024. Horton played just six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, but he has no regrets about returning to school to finish his degree.
“I wanted to graduate,” Horton said during his press conference Friday morning at the NFL Combine. “Also developed a little more and just get my degree.”
While the knee injury ended his 2024 season, Horton said he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab and will be ready to return to the field soon.
“It’s going great, actually ahead of schedule, so I feel like the whole process has been great, and I’m ready to be back soon.”
He admitted that the injury was tough, especially with him coming back to play his final season,
“It was a little hard. Of course, that’s the last thing on your mind when you come back for your final season. But at the end of the day, it’s football, you can’t really put your head on that. You got to move on, keep performing,” Horton said. “At the end of the day, it’s part of the longevity of my career, and I knew the next level was still there for me, so I felt the surgery was the right move for me.”
Horton had a formal meeting with the Steelers at the Combine, one of two teams he’s had a formal with so far along with the Los Angeles Rams. Horton said he thought his conversation with the Steelers was “really good.”
“It went well, we just sat there, chopped it up, it was more of a regular conversation, just getting to know me and I feel like the conversation was really good with them.”
Horton said it was “real cool” to be in the room with Mike Tomlin for the interview.
“He a chill guy, and we chopped it up like we’ve known each other for quite a bit, and that just goes to show how much they kinda been watching me and stuff like that. So I feel like we had pretty good connections. It was a nice meeting for sure.”
Horton may wind up being one of the biggest sleepers in the class. He hasn’t officially measured in yet at the Combine, so those numbers will be important, but he’s listed at 6-3, 185 pounds by Colorado State, and his overall college production is among the best in the class. Horton thinks his versatility and ability to play in the slot or outside will be beneficial to NFL teams.
“[A] 6-3 guy, I played a lot of slot and outside, move around, vertical threat, so I feel like I got a lot of versatility in my game of moving around and working deep and even under routes a lot,” he said.
While Horton’s primarily worked outside, with 739 snaps out wide, he has a decent amount of work in the slot with 244 snaps during his Colorado State career.
Horton said he’s been trying to add some weight to his frame and that’s been a focus over the last few years. With the Steelers making it a priority to upgrade at receiver, Tory Horton could be a mid-round name to watch, especially if the Steelers are able to add to their receiver room in free agency. His injury recovery is worth monitoring, but Horton is a highly productive, versatile receiver who could come into the Steelers’ room and make an impact as a rookie.
