Seahawks Bolster Tight End Room, Select Miami Standout Elijah Arroyo
Coming off a strong senior season in Coral Gables, the Seahawks invested a second round pick in Miami Hurricanes tight end Elijah Arroyo in the 2025 NFL Draft. Credit: Elijah Arroyo/Instagram
Acquiring a new weapon to their pass catching group for quarterback Sam Darnold, the Seahawks invested their 50th overall pick in the second round on Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo, adding him to a tight end group that should see increased usage under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
A four-star recruit from Frisco, Texas, Arroyo returned to Miami, where he spent the first six years of his life, enrolling to join his beloved Hurricanes. He caught five passes as a true freshman in limited action before battling injuries during his sophomore and junior seasons, playing in just 11 games combined during that span. But he rebounded with the best year of his college career in 2024, catching 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns as a complementary weapon in the passing game while pairing up with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Over the course of his college career in Coral Gables, Arroyo gradually improved as a run blocker, earning his best grade from Pro Football Focus (61.3) in 2024 while logging 320 snaps as an inline tight end. He played at his best as a move blocker, ranking 20th among qualified blockers in the zone blocking department (71.7), making him an intriguing prospect to deploy in Kubiak’s 12 and 13 personnel-heavy offense.
At 6-5, 250 pounds, Miami used Arroyo all over the formation, including as an H-back and running more than 50 percent of his routes last season out of the slot functioning as a big wideout. Though he wasn’t a high volume target for Ward with other talented receivers as the focal points of the offense, including draft hopeful Xavier Restrepo, he proved to be incredibly reliable when called upon, posting only one drop and catching 74.5 percent of the passes thrown his direction last season.
Dealing with a sore knee, Arroyo chose not to do any athletic testing at the 2025 NFL combine or Miami’s pro day workout after participating in the Senior Bowl, but on film, he’s a smooth athlete who runs like a 225-pound receiver and excels as a field stretcher down the seam, creating matchup problems for smaller safeties and linebackers. He also averaged close to nine yards after the catch per reception last season, doing most of that damage with his speed running through the defense rather than breaking a bunch of tackles.
Out of the gate, Arroyo should have a shot to compete for significant snaps early, though the presence of returning veteran Noah Fant, who has similar strengths as a pass catcher, may put a cap on his opportunities to contribute as a receiver early. Down the line, with Fant set to be a free agent next spring, the Seahawks may be looking towards the future with hopes of pairing him with 2024 fourth-round pick AJ Barner, a superior blocker who offers more value as a traditional Y-tight end and showed off unexpected receiving chops with four touchdowns as a rookie.
