COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn believes he is the best defender in the NFL draft. He showed the professionals that he is one of the quickest, with a great performance on the school’s professional day on Wednesday.
Horn, a defensive player from Alpharetta, Georgia, who is 1.80 m tall and 93 kg, is projected for the first round and ran 4.37 seconds in a 40-yard run.
“I feel like I’m the best defensive player in the draft,” said Horn on Tuesday.
Horn shows his speed to 61 NFL employees, including coaches Matt Rhule of Carolina and Mike Vrabel of Tennessee.
He must be among the first cornerbacks chosen and did little to change that image while training on Wednesday.
Horn, son of former New Orleans and Atlanta recipient Joe Horn, said he faced some of the best recipients of the Southeast Conference and came out on top. “I’m versatile, I have size, (I have) speed and athleticism,” said young Horn.
He showed that speed with his unofficial time at 40, which would have been the third fastest defensive in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.
Horn ended 2020 with 16 tackles and led the Gamecocks with eight defended passes and six pass separations. Both of his interceptions last season came in a 30-22 victory over Auburn, the first time Gamecocks defeated the Tigers since 1933.
The NFL canceled this year’s event due to the coronavirus, instead of holding campus sessions across the country. South Carolina had five guests, led by Horn.
The biggest question Horn received at meetings with NFL teams is about his actions last fall, when he chose not to participate in the last three games in South Carolina after the resignation of Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp.
Horn faced comments on social media at the time he gave up on his teammates. It was a family affair, Horn detailed this week. He said his grandparents and several relatives in Mississippi had contracted COVID-19, his aunt dying of the virus.
Horn felt his place was with his family before he started preparing for NFL recruitment.
“I could tell you now, if I could go back, I would do it again. I put my family before anything,” he said. “I feel that my teammates and coaches know how much I love football, but I put my family before the game.”
Horn acknowledged the difficulty in hearing strangers question his integrity. “But I fought and I am in a better place now,” he said.
Horn was designed to go 16th overall to Arizona in the latest simulation project by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
Horn was not the only player to leave after Muschamp was sent off, a group that included 6-3 cornerback Israel Mukuamu, who also gave up his NFL qualification and worked on Wednesday.
Mukuamu said that a groin injury at the opening of the season last year limited his effectiveness and when he made matters worse after a defeat at Ole Miss – the night before Muschamp’s resignation – it was considered the end of the season and he moved on. Mukuamu is projected to choose a fourth round next month.
Mukuamu, who had three interceptions in 2019 in South Carolina, in third place in Georgia, believes he fits the curve better, but will do what is asked at the next level.
“I’m just trying to get through the door,” he said. “The guys who are versatile stay longer and that is what I want to do”.
Horn believes his skill can make him a longtime figure in any defensive NFL backfield. “Whether in the first round, in the second round or without a draw, when I enter the field I will show it,” he said.
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