South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn might not have been the pick that Carolina Panthers fans wanted to see at No. 8, but it does check off a box of need for a defensive unit that continues to grow with young talent in key areas.
Taken as the first cornerback — and defensive player, period — in the 2021 NFL Draft and the first corner for the Panthers in the first round since Chris Gamble back in 2004, Horn has to come in and play immediately with recently acquired A.J. Bouye being suspended for the first two games of the upcoming season.
“If you go back to last year, there were times we just couldn’t get off the field, and so it’s been an issue we tried to address in free agency,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said in a post-pick press conference. “He’s a rare physical specimen.”
The Panthers allowed quarterbacks to complete 68% of their passes against them last year, throwing for 6.9 yards per attempt for a total of 3,825 yards and 28 touchdowns. They only had seven interceptions.
Horn, the son of former Saints receiver Joe Horn, is going to be counted on to be the guy long-term in some capacity, especially with Donte Jackson entering the final year of his contract.
“We like his ability to step on the field and compete Day 1,” new Panthers General Manager Scott Fitterer said. “We need corners on this team to compete against other receivers in this league, in this division. Jaycee, with his completive makeup, and Coach talked about his length and his man-cover ability, that’s what we liked about him.”
But Horn very well could live up to those lofty expectations.
The 21-year old has long arms — measuring at 33 inches during the NFL Combine — and ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. He also put up 19 reps of 225 pounds during the bench press drill at his Pro Day.
So, long, fast and strong — three qualities you want out of a press coverage corner.
Then you look at his play on the field, which could sometimes be characterized as hit-or-miss. He was targeted with 24 passes in seven games last season, allowing eight catches with three touchdowns and registering two interceptions. He was credited with 23 passes defended during his three-year career at South Carolina, covering some of the nation’s top receivers in the SEC.
Just after Horn’s selection, Pro Football Focus tweeted some notable performances that Horn has had against top receivers:
Jaylen Waddle — 1/1, 12 yards
Jerry Jeudy — 1/1, 7 yards
Justyn Ross — 2/4, 14 yards
Kyle Pitts— 1/3, 20 yards
Seth Williams — 1/9, 44 yards, 2 INTs
Elijah Moore — 7/10, 47 yards (2 games)
He also had a 33% completion percentage against him. That was the lowest in the SEC, which includes the likes of Patrick Surtain, who the Panthers passed on to take Horn.
“When you watch Jaycee Horn play, he just jumps off the tape,” Rhule said after the pick was announced.
His demeanor is certainly what you would want from a corner. Think Jalen Ramsey, Jimmy Smith, Josh Norman. But he does let his hands wander when in coverage, which can be expected on some level playing as physically as he does. Still, not something you want to see. He needs to get better in the red zone, too, especially when you’ve got guys like Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, and Mike Evans lining up on the other side, should he draw those matchups.
Horn said he thinks he'll find favor in those types of matchups.
"I definitely feel like that’s one of my strengths, being able to matchup against bigger receivers because of my size. I’ve also got the speed and feet to match routes well with those great receivers in the conference," he said after being picked. "I can definitely understand the thought process behind the pick, and I’m definitely ready to go prove them right."
Horn will join Jackson, Bouye, Troy Pride Jr., and Rashaan Melvin as guys who should see ample playing time next season, and he could easily be considered the top guy out of that group.
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