The Arizona Cardinals are coming off an impressive win against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, ending Seattle’s undefeated streak. The Cardinals defense are now ranked 20th in the league and they have lost some key players due to injuries like Chandler Jones and Robert Alford. General manager Steve Keim has transformed the Cardinals from a team that last year sat in the bottom of the NFC West to a now playoff-contending team. However, they have allowed an average of 247.3 passing yards per game, according to ESPN. One of the biggest struggles on consistency for their Cardinals is the cornerback room. While Byron Murphy is still young and entering his second year, he certainly has room to grow. However, there have been some nice flashes including his big third-down sack against the Seahawks. The Cardinals also only have Dre Kirkpatrick on a one-year deal, so they will need another secondary playmaker for their future.
Looking ahead into the 2021 NFL draft, there are talented cornerbacks the Cardinals could potentially select in the first round. One big name is a player that screams consistency and that is the 6-foot-1 and 205-pound cornerback Jaycee Horn from South Carolina.
Jaycee Horn has been nothing short of impressive throughout his past two seasons as a Gamecock. Last season, he finished with 40 total tackles and a sack. Through five games this season, Horn has 13 total tackles and two interceptions. He does a nice job keeping balance throughout the play and possesses a great amount of speed. Horn has gone up against elite talent like Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, Auburn receiver Seth Williams and Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith, all who have put themselves on the radar as early-round draft picks. One game that stands out for Horn so far this season is his game against Auburn where he was lined up against a big-bodied receiver in Seth Williams. Williams had 11 targets and only caught four of them for a total of 74 yards. Horn did an impressive job containing Williams by using his feet and hands to prevent him from making those big plays. Horn does a really nice job opening up his hips to anticipate the routes of the receiver. One play that analysts pointed out was against Florida when Horn was lined up against Pitts. As one of the commentators said, Horn stayed tight with Pitts and “worked back to get his arm wrapped low”. Jaycee Horn has put himself on the map as a first-round potential prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has the talent to an elite NFL corner and would be an integral part to the Cardinals defense.
Jaycee Horn has room to grow in certain areas of his game. He does tend to play high at times. This will be an easy fix for him, as he has been efficient playing low. He just needs to stay consistent with it. Horn has been impressive lining up against big-bodied receivers. However, sometimes he is not as physical as he should be, which isn’t necessarily a red flag. Horn certainly has shown physicality at times, but if he can play even more physical and aggressive, that will help him immensely at the next level when he is going up against elite talent.
Jaycee Horn would be an immediate impact for the Cardinals’ secondary. With his speed, vision and consistency, Horn very well could be selected in the first round of the draft, and he would be the perfect pick for the Cardinals. He has areas of his game to work on, but Horn has made a name of himself as one of the top corners in the draft this year.
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