Jaycee Horn to the Carolina Panthers? The case for and against trading back to draft him
One of the Panthers’ top priorities heading into the 2021 NFL draft is to find a cornerback.
Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said it’s one of the deepest positions in the draft. And the Panthers have a chance to land a good one in the first round, whether that’s Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley or Jaycee Horn. All three are considered by many draft experts to be the top three cornerbacks in this year’s pool.
Surtain is expected to go between No. 8 and No. 10, while Horn or Farley could go between No. 10 and No. 32. For the purposes of this story, we’re going to look at Horn, the former South Carolina star cornerback, who helps fill a need for the Panthers, and is a player with the potential of starting Day 1.
Here is the case for and against drafting Horn:
Case for drafting Jaycee Horn
Drafting Horn would likely mean the Panthers trade back. Horn, the son of former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn, is a projected mid-round pick.
Fitterer said about five teams have called the Panthers about potential trades. He said the Panthers wouldn’t likely trade past No. 15, however.
If you look at the teams in that range who are most likely to trade up, that includes the Broncos at No. 9, the Eagles at No. 12, the Vikings at No. 14 and the Patriots at No. 15.
The latter seems to be the most likely candidate for a trade given their need for a future franchise quarterback. A league source said the Patriots were one of the teams to reach out to a representative in the Panthers’ organization about a trade.
A trade with the Patriots could net the Panthers a pick in this year’s draft, as well as a future first- or second-round pick, depending on how desperate the Patriots are to get a quarterback; they may be willing to overpay. The future first-round pick would make up for the one the Panthers lost in the Sam Darnold trade.
And picking Horn at No. 15 would be an ideal scenario. It would mean the Panthers get a Day 1 starter who fills an important need.
Carolina signed 29-year-old A.J. Bouye to a two-year deal earlier this month. Starting cornerback Donte Jackson, who dealt with a turf toe injury for much of 2020, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and will become a free agent in 2022. He could potentially leave for another team.
Drafting a starting cornerback would help mitigate that.
Horn showed he could lock receivers down in man coverage at South Carolina.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound cornerback was targeted 24 times through seven games in 2020, and allowed eight catches, three for touchdowns, but intercepted two passes. He also had six pass deflections. Quarterbacks had a 54.9 passer rating when targeting him.
“The fact that they had him cover Kyle Pitts one game, Elijah Moore (Ole Miss WR) the next, you just don’t see guys get those kind of assignments and have success,” said Eric Edholm, a draft analyst for Yahoo! Sports said. “He may not have great hands, but he gets his hands on a lot of passes. It was impressive.”
Edholm ranks Horn among his top 15 prospects in the draft.
At Horn’s pro day, he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, and vertical jumped 41.5 inches. Both numbers were better than Surtain, who is projected ahead of him.
“I feel like I’m the best defensive player in the draft,” Horn told reporters in March, before USC’s pro day. “I’m versatile. I got the size, speed, I’m athletic. I faced every receiver’s body type from Kyle Pitts to Elijah Moore and Devonta Smith. I feel like I am the best defensive player in the draft.”
Case against drafting Jaycee Horn
There’s a chance Horn may not make it to No. 15.
But because of the trade back, drafting him means you’re likely passing up on another one of your needs and someone who may have been better at No. 8.
The Panthers could potentially be passing up on left tackles Penei Sewell or Rayshawn Slater, or Surtain, or quarterback Justin Fields. While it’s no guarantee, all of those players are projected to have bigger impacts in their NFL careers.
And while getting extra picks may be beneficial, it’s hard to pass up on a potential All-Pro player.
There’s also Fitterer’s comment that this is a deep cornerback class.
The Panthers have a bigger need for an offensive tackle than they do at defensive back. They could instead choose to get an offensive lineman in the first round and get a quality cornerback in the second or third round.
Final verdict
The Panthers have to weigh their options. Do they trade back to get Horn and grab extra picks? Or do they take the best available option at No. 8, and grab a cornerback in one of the later rounds?
I tend to believe offensive lines are more important than cornerback play. You can mask bad cornerback play with a great defensive line, but it’s impossible to mask a bad offensive line.
A trade back with the Patriots, Vikings or Eagles would have to net at least a future first-round pick and at least a third-round pick in this draft for me to take that deal.
Horn is talented and confident. He’s everything you want in a player. But take the more talented player with the more pressing need.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 6:00 PM.
