A day after assessing the prospects for Alabama’s professional day, the Broncos continued their scouting work at the University of South Carolina on Wednesday.
General Manager George Paton and Defensive Backs Coach Christian Parker were among the Broncos’ representatives present for the Gamecocks Pro Day, which featured several key candidates.
Cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu, striker Sadarius Hutercherson and wide receiver Shi Smith were among the best chances to participate.
Horn, which NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked 23rd overall overall in this year’s draft, is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in this year’s draft.
Before training, Horn said he believed he was not only the best cornerback in the class, but also the best defender in the 2021 draft. Horn said his versatility, size, speed, athleticism and experience playing against different types of receivers earned him that title. And while most experts rated Horn behind Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley and several other defensive players, Horn said he was not concerned about the experts’ rating.
“People don’t realize that it’s just a draft,” Horn said on Tuesday. “You still have to go play football after that. It doesn’t bother me too much. I’m not saying I’m the best defensive player in the draft [as] a statement to make the teams think, ‘Oooh, he has good confidence.’ In fact, I feel that way. So it doesn’t matter if I’m on the first shift, the second shift, not working – when I go on the field, I’ll show you that. In a few years, we will all see. Experts are wrong all the time. We’ll see.”
Horn surpassed Surtain’s professional numbers, as the South Carolina product recorded 19 reps on the bench press, a 41.5-inch vertical jump, a 3.5-meter wide jump and a 4.39-yard run. seconds.
It is possible that these numbers – combined with recent news from Farley being operated on – could put Horn in the conversation as the number 1 cornerback.
“Horn is a big, physical cornerback with a lot of speed and instincts,” wrote Jeremiah in his assessment. “He is physical with his hands to consistently forward in the press coverage. He is fluid when opening and can run / stay on stage with vertical routes. His quickness in the short area is good for a big cornerback. However, he has some bad habits to interrupt coverage. He grabs and grabs a lot. He’s going to draw a lot of flags on the next level if this isn’t cleared. He does a good job of locating and throwing the ball on the field. He is more than willing to support the race (see: big hit against Auburn). Overall, Horn needs to play with more confidence outside the cover (to avoid panicking and grabbing), but he has the skills to immediately stand out as a cornerback from the man of the press. “
Horn, who is the son of former Pro Bowl receiver Joe Horn, qualified in the top 10 in passes defended by the SEC in 2019 and 2020. He recorded two forced fumbles in 2019 before adding two interceptions in 2020.