Perhaps the most mocked player to the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2021 NFL draft is South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn. It makes sense.
The Cardinals have a big need for a cornerback moving forward, it is a premium position in the draft and Horn is considered one of the top three players at his position.
Horn would welcome being selected by the Cardinals with the 16th overall pick.
“I feel I’d fit in well and it would be a blessing to go play in Arizona,” he said at his pro day.
He is a fan of some of the Cardinals’ past defenses.
“I’m a fan of the way they played defense when they had Patrick
Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu and Jeraud Powers,” he said. “That secondary was real strong.”
It has been a few years since those three were in the defensive backfield and, with the departure of Peterson in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings, not a single player of that secondary remains.
Horn’s skill set does match what defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wants to have. His system starts with players who can create pressure off the edge and corners who can cover on the outside.
What does Horn do best?
“I hang my hat on press man,” he said. “I feel to be a great corner
you have to be good at that.”
If selected by the Cardinals, he has a good chance of playing a lot as a rookie. He would have plenty of opportunities to cover receivers one-on-one.
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