The Carolina Panthers’ cornerback room took a step forward this offseason by picking up a few key players in free agency and more importantly in the NFL draft. Though the Panthers lost Rasul Douglas to the Raiders, they upgraded in a big way by picking up free agent cornerback A.J. Bouye, and selected South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, one of the top cornerbacks in the 2021 draft, eighth overall..
Last year, the Panthers gave up 239 yards per game through the air, and ranked 25th in the league in opponent passing attempts per game. Around the league, the game plan versus the Panthers was to pass against their defense, and two brand new corners plan to put an end to that. Bouye is a guy who has 100 games under his belt, so he has the experience to help the rookie Jaycee Horn.
Bouye was put in a similar situation in 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as he helped Jalen Ramsey lock down opposing receivers and turned that secondary into one of the NFL’s best. Horn has Kyle Fuller-type awareness in space, Jalen Ramsey-style stickiness, and he can mirror physicality during routes like Champ Bailey. Now before you tag me on Twitter, I am not saying he will have the same success as those players… he simply showed those attributes in college.
The first thing a cornerback must show is the ability to limit separation from a receiver early. Against one of the biggest targets in college football, Florida All-World tight end Kyle Pitts, Horn held his own, and let him know early that he wasn’t going to allow Pitts to be comfortable.
The Panthers need a guy who can stay hip-to-hip on deep routes, and when lined up shaded inside, Horn really does a great job using the 12th man (not the fans, but the sideline), which eliminates space for the receiver.
Not only does Horn do this against receivers outside the numbers; he also eliminates space defending slants and post routes by staying on the backs of receivers, and staying aggressive at the catch point.
Whether it’s in press coverage or off the line of scrimmage, Horn has the long frame and overall speed to stay with the league’s bigger and more aggressive contested-catch receivers.
One of Horn’s best attributes and possibly why the Panthers drafted him is his overall play in space.
Horn shows elite anticipation when he is downfield, not limited to zone nor man to man defense. His comfortability undeniable as we watch him keep his eyes on the quarterback so he can read where the ball is going and close-in with his fluid hips.
The Panthers’ pass defense was a relative weakness in 2020; Horn alone has the potential to turn that around to an impressive degree.
In-depth breakdown on Jaycee Horn from my YouTube Podcast: Ponytails Talking Pigskins.