RENTON, Wash. — Moments after the Seattle Seahawks selected Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo with the 50th pick last month, the NFL Network showed a graphic with a fascinating comparison from draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
Below the bullet-pointed text touting Arroyo’s ability to stretch the middle of the field and another line noting his durability issues, there was the name of the NFL player to whom Jeremiah likened Seattle’s second-round pick: Noah Fant.
Even before the draft, Fant — the Seahawks’ current TE1 — seemed like less than a sure thing to remain with the team in 2025 because of a pricey contract that has outpaced his production over his three years in Seattle. Fant’s immediate future with the Seahawks became an even bigger question after general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald used their third pick on a player with a similar skill set and physical profile.
At 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds, Arroyo is a touch bigger than Fant (6-4, 249) and almost as fast.
“This guy can run an extensive route tree,” Macdonald said. “To have to account for a tight end body on the field and him also to be able to split out wide, do X receiver type of things, bigger body than we probably have right now on our roster, just provides a ton of value. And then he’s going to throw it in there as an actual tight end in line and be able to kind of create some of those bigger personnel formations is the vision that we have for him. So it’s really exciting.”
Arroyo caught 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns while playing in all 13 games for the Hurricanes last season. His 16.9 yards per reception led all FBS tight ends, as did the 9.2 yards he averaged after the catch. He showed his breakaway speed and run-after-catch ability during a November game at Georgia Tech, when he hauled in a Cam Ward pass up the seam 12 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and raced 62 more yards to the end zone.
Arroyo didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the NFL combine or at his pro day because of a knee injury he suffered at the Senior Bowl. But the Seahawks estimated that his GPS speeds would translate to a 40 time of 4.52 or 4.53. For comparison, some combine 40 times for current and former Seahawks tight ends are 4.50 for Fant, 4.84 for AJ Barner, 4.87 for Will Dissly and 4.56 for Jimmy Graham.
Arroyo’s size, speed and route-running ability led new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to wonder aloud during predraft meetings whether he could essentially take over as Seattle’s X receiver after DK Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
According to ESPN Research, 57% of Arroyo’s 618 offensive snaps last season came as an in-line tight end compared with 33% from the slot, 7% from out wide and 3% from the backfield.
“I’m a big target,” Arroyo said when asked about his catch radius after making a leaping, outstretched grab up the seam to end the first practice of Seattle’s rookie minicamp. “I’m a tight end, but when it comes to the pass game, I like to count myself as a receiver.”
Arroyo took part in team drills during rookie camp, and afterward he answered in the affirmative when asked whether the knee injury that sidelined him for part of the predraft process is behind him.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “I feel good.”
In between healthy seasons in 2021 and 2024, Arroyo missed 16 of 25 games over 2022 and 2023 after tearing his left ACL.
“That’s exactly why he was there when we were picking at 50,” Schneider said. “… He has missed time. But if he hasn’t missed time, the talent is like a top-15 pick. I mean, this guy’s special.”
As for Fant’s future, a logical plan would be for the Seahawks to revisit the situation later in the summer after gauging his trade market, the available options to bolster their other needs and Arroyo’s readiness to step into a starting role.
For now, Fant is set to finish out the two-year, $21 million deal he signed in March of 2024. According to OverTheCap.com, the $10.5 million average of that deal is 11th highest among tight ends, while his $13.41 million cap charge for 2025 is eighth highest. The latter figure includes an $8.49 million non-guaranteed base salary and $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses.
The Seahawks would save $9 million in cash by trading or cutting the 27-year-old and almost that much in cap space with either move. They’re roughly $31 million under the cap, though some of their available funds might be earmarked for an extension for left tackle Charles Cross in addition to their usual in-season expenses.
In three seasons with Seattle, Fant ranks 20th among tight ends in receptions (130), 21st in receiving yards (1,400) and tied for 38th in touchdowns (five). His score in last season’s finale marked his first time finding the end zone since late in 2022, the year the Seahawks acquired him from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade.
Barner, by comparison, scored four touchdowns as a rookie fourth-round pick in 2024. He returns from last season’s group of tight ends, while ninth-year veteran Eric Saubert replaces Pharaoh Brown as a blocking specialist.
Whether Fant is still on the roster come September, the Seahawks are excited about what Arroyo brings.
“To be that size and move that fast and then have route skill is special, and it creates problems for defenses because you can dictate matchups,” Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley said. “He can win against corners, and we saw that in college football. We’re looking forward to taking advantage of that versatility once he gets here and we get to work.”
