The 2021 cornerback class is quite enigmatic, but there is a trio of talents established at the top of the table. One by Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley or South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn will win the CB1 mantle in 2021 NFL Draft. This is where Horn can be the first cornerback off the board. And if not, why will he still be chosen sooner than most.
Jaycee Horn NFL Draft Profile
Height: 6ft-1
Weight: 205 pounds
Position: Cornerback
School: South Carolina
Current year: Junior
The genetics of the NFL caliber tends to be transmitted. Jaycee Horn was a beneficiary in this case. His father not only played NFL football, but played for more than a decade, and won Pro Bowl recognition four times as a wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints. Horn brings the same athletic talent, but on the other side of the ball.
Leaving Alpharetta, Georgia, Horn was a four-star candidate in the 2018 recruiting class. Horn’s talent was visible even then. South Carolina’s future cornerback was the country’s 145th player on the ESPN board, and received offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Ohio State, among others. Horn could have been the next product of the NFL factories in Columbus and Tuscaloosa. But, instead, he decided to make his own way, as a member of the Gamecocks.
Jaycee Horn’s career as a South Carolina cornerback
Some players need a period of acclimation when making the transition to college football. Jaycee Horn does not. As a real freshman playing in the SEC, Horn started 10 of 11 possible games. In the process, he recorded a total of 45 tackles, 4.0 loss tackles, 2.0 sacks and eight pass deflections. He was a newcomer to the All-SEC selection for his efforts and took this production through 2019.
As a true sophomore, Horn continued to stand out as one of the best cornerbacks in one of the best conferences. The South Carolina cornerback started all 12 games for the Gamecocks, accumulating 40 tackles in total, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, nine passing deflections and two forced fumbles. Despite this production, Horn received no honors from All-SEC. However, he continued to attract the attention of NFL scouts. In addition to his success in the field, he also won academic honors for doing so.
Horn’s last season with the Gamecocks
Horn entered 2020 as a rising star at the SEC, and his junior season consolidated his status. Horn again served as a full-time starter for South Carolina. In seven games, the disruptive defender scored 16 tackles, one loss tackle, two interceptions and six pass deviations. Horn was named an honoree of the second All-SEC team, finally earning a place at the top of the conference.
After making a strong impression at the beginning, Horn chose to stay out until the end of the 2020 season in mid-November, turning his full attention to the 2021 NFL Draft.
Analyzing Jaycee Horn’s NFL Draft profile
The cornerback can be one of the most challenging positions in football. Each player has a lot to do with any snap, but cornerbacks and wide receivers are naturally placed on islands. Thus, border battles become subsets of mental warfare. Players who are aggressive, in addition to being more physically proactive, can enter their opponent’s headspace. South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn has that ability.
Horn is one of the most physical and aggressive cornerbacks in the NFL’s 2021 draft. The South Carolina cornerback has a long, slim build and uses its length both on the line and on the roof. He is not shy when attacking his opponents in the press coverage, and his aggressive nature also appears at the receiving point, where he does not hesitate to hit the ball.
Horn combines a proactive mindset with good coordination and ultra-efficient use of the hands. This not only allows him to disrupt the receivers’ time, but also makes him a real ace in the presence of the ball.
Of course, it is one thing to have contact skills. Another thing is to have the athletic characteristics to be in position. Fortunately, Horn brings the necessary athletic tools as well.
Horn is not an elite athlete, but he is close to the end of the spectrum. His hip spins are fluid, and he has a good explosion in those spins. He also has the lateral speed to attack on in-break routes, and he has the speed to match most receivers on the field. He is very light out of his stance and has the short-range explosion to maximize his game window, as well as the vertical ability to stand up for close passes.
Are there any concerns about Horn?
Jaycee Horn is an exceptional athlete with a fearless mind and excellent ball skills. Of course, there will be more positives than negatives in a perspective like this. Having said that, there are some areas where Horn can further refine his game at the next level.
Horn’s physicality can cause problems at times. It is much more refined than one would expect from an ultra-physical defense. However, he will need to be extremely diligent in the NFL with his physicality, because it doesn’t always take much to get pass or call waiting interference. In addition, Horn can improve his consistency as a defender, but considering his dense structure, solid length and speed of closure, he has the tools to progress there.
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Overall, Horn is an athlete, a physicist and – most importantly – a proactive defense. It is also smart, smooth and maintains a good position in the coverage area. There are not many bad things to say about Horn. Thus, it will certainly be an initial choice in the NFL’s 2021 Draft.
Jaycee Horn’s best tweaks in the NFL’s 2021 Draft
Before the 2020 season, it was possible that Jaycee Horn would escape the first round in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, his excellent junior campaign almost completely eliminated that possibility. The 2021 cornerback class lacks inspiring depth and, even at the top, some teams may not be as enthusiastic about Caleb Farley, who took the 2020 season and also has a history of injuries.
Horn is one of the most complete cornerback candidates in the 2021 class, and he also brings a number of characteristics to an unusually high degree, most notably, his physicality. Horn is a player who can be generally diverse in layout and versatile in the cornerback position. His athletic side only solidifies his status as the first round choice. It is very unlikely that he will fall out of the 32 best choices, and he is almost more likely to go in the first half of the first round.
Which teams match Jaycee Horn’s reach and skill set?
Teams looking for a cornerback in the first round would not be wise if they did not consider Horn. Patrick Surtain II may be the most popular choice as CB1, but Horn has a case for that title too. However, relegating Horn’s reach to the middle towards the end of Round 1, teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts have good starts. However, a team like Denver or Dallas can catch you if they value you enough.
Blocking cornerbacks are scarce and, in general, even the term itself is overused. But Jaycee Horn, while not yet at that level, has some of the defining characteristics of a blocking cornerback. He is athletic, long and incredibly proactive when it comes to interrupting the pass receiver and the pass itself.