The Carolina Panthers addressed one of the team’s key needs in the first round of the draft.
With the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Panthers selected South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn.
This marks the first time the Panthers have selected a Gamecocks player in the first two rounds of the draft. The earliest pick from South Carolina was tackle Travelle Wharton in the third round in 2004.
Horn, 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, was targeted 24 times through seven games in 2020, and allowed eight catches, three for touchdowns. He intercepted two passes. Quarterbacks had a 54.9 passer rating when targeting Horn. Run support is typically cited as one of his areas to improve. At his pro day, with Panthers coach Matt Rhule in attendance, he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 41.5 inches.
He is widely considered one of the best at his position in this year’s class and is often considered to have the highest ceiling. His father, Joe, was a 12-year NFL veteran and four-time Pro Bowl selection.
Horn, 21, is the fourth cornerback ever taken by the organization in the first round of the draft, and the first since Chris Gamble in 2004. This is the earliest the Panthers have ever addressed the position in the draft.
The expectation for Horn will be to play sooner rather than later. Cornerback is one of the largest holes on the team’s roster. Starter Donte Jackson is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The team acquired free agent A.J. Bouye this offseason, however, he is suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Last year, the Panthers used a fourth-round pick on corner Troy Pride, who is continuing to develop.
Horn is the fifth South Carolina defensive back selected in the first round since 1967 and the first since Rock Hill-native Stephon Gilmore (No. 10 in 2012). He is the fifth Gamecocks player ever drafted by the Panthers and the fourth on the current roster, joining Joe Charlton, Dennis Daley and J.T. Ibe.
