Broncos GM George Paton is participating in South Carolina’s Pro Day to watch cornerback Jaycee Horn

According to several reports, Denver Broncos general manager, George Paton, is among the few general managers selected for South Carolina’s Pro Day. The main attraction for this Professional Day is the potential choice of the first round, cornerback, Jaycee Horn.

Horn is a 6’1 ”205 lb cornerback who played his college ball in South Carolina and is considered one of the best cornerbacks in the country. He played three seasons in South Carolina, during which time he totaled 101 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 23 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles.

By many accounts, Horn is considered the second or third best cornerback in this year’s draft class. Now, with concerns about Caleb Farley’s back, Horn could be competing with Patrick Surtain, from Alabama, for being the first cornerback to leave the board during next month’s NFL 2021 draft.

The Draft Network classifies Horn as its third best cornerback in the NFL’s 2021 Draft and has him as its 28th best overall player in the draft as well. Here’s what TDN’s Joe Marino has to say about cornerback Jaycee Horn from South Carolina.

Son of Joe Horn, who has been the Pro Bowl wide receiver four times, South Carolina Gamecocks cornerback Jaycee Horn joins the NFL after three seasons at the SEC, where he has shown consistent growth. After playing mostly on the slot machine in 2018, Horn played extensively in 2019 and 2020, where he projects best in the NFL. Horn has a long, squat structure built to compete with the X receivers in the NFL. His size, length and physicality appear on the roof where he is highly disturbing in the press and ultra-competitive at the meeting point. Horn’s concerns appear mainly as a tackler and off-man coverage of the game. Unfortunately, Horn does not play in his weight class as a tackler and there are many missing tackles in the film. In addition, Horn may be guilty of guessing when mirroring the routes, leading to missteps, which is problematic given how segmented his transitions can be. If used correctly and with development, Horn can be a good start, especially if his skills with the ball continue to progress as in 2020.

NFL Network’s top recruiting analyst, Daniel Jeremiah, also got a high score from Horn. He also ranked him as his third best cornerback in the draft, behind Farely and Surtain, and ranked him as his 23rd best candidate in the NFL’s 2021 Draft.

Horn is a big, physical cornerback with a lot of speed and instincts. He is physical with his hands to consistently redirect press coverage. It is fluid when opened and can run / stay in phase with vertical routes. Its speed in the short area is good for a big cornerback. However, he has some bad habits to stop coverage. He grabs and grabs a lot. He will draw many flags on the next level if this is not cleared. He does a good job of locating and throwing the ball on the field. He has excellent hands to finish with the ball. He is more than willing to support the race (see: big hit against Auburn). Overall, Horn needs to play more confidently out of cover (to avoid panicking and grabbing), but he has the skills to immediately stand out as a press-man cornerback.

While Marino has some concerns about his tackle, Horn is known as a physical corner who is also a willing and physical tackler. These are characteristics that the Broncos coach and defense mentor Vic Fangio like to see out of a corner, so it makes sense that they show some interest in Horn.

Now, with Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby signed, a cornerback is no longer an urgent need. However, Fuller and Bryce Callahan only signed this season and can leave via free agency at the end of the season. I could see one or both of them getting an extension in the middle of the season, especially if it looks like Vic Fangio isn’t up, but from now on, cornerback will be a big need again in 2022. That’s why drawing a corner like Horn in 2021 makes sense. This would allow them to slowly enter the NFL in its debut season before being given more playing time and potentially a starting job in 2022 if one or both Fuller and Callahan left through a free agency.

Personally, I prefer to see the Broncos take a different direction in this off-season. You can always add corner depth later in the draft and I think the team has bigger fish to fry in the draft. However, I would not hate that selection at all. Horn is a talented corner that fits the defensive scheme very well and with Patrick Mahomes in his division, you cannot have many talented corners in your squad.