5 Panthers players who have blown away early expectations in 2021

Which Carolina Panthers players have blown away early expectations through Week 3 of the 2021 season?

It’s been a fantastic opening to the 2021 campaign for the Carolina Panthers. There is still a long way to go, but Matt Rhule and his players seem to be heading in the right direction and are one of the few unbeaten NFL teams heading into a pivotal Week 4 matchup at the Dallas Cowboys.

The national media can pick holes in the Panthers being 3-0 all they like. But they can only beat what’s on the schedule and nobody can look at their first three performances with anything other than huge encouragement.

There is still much work to do. And it will be interesting to see how Carolina copes without the services of running back Christian McCaffrey once again.

But all things considered, the future looks incredibly bright.

With this in mind, here are five Panthers players who have blown away early expectations in 2021.

Player No. 1

Jaycee Horn – Carolina Panthers CB

Although Jaycee Horn broke his foot at the Houston Texans and could miss the remainder of the campaign, he is more than deserving of his spot on this list. The cornerback came into the league as the No. 8 overall selection and the pressure of being a Day 1 starter, something he more than lived up to before an unfortunate turn of events on Thursday Night Football.

Horn completely changed the dynamic of how Carolina approached things on defense. His swagger, ability to shut down one side of the field and physical approach right out of the gate was nothing short of exceptional and the Panthers are going to miss his presence terribly.

Hopefully, recently acquired corner C.J. Henderson – another top-10 pick – can step in and ensure no momentum is lost. But make no mistake, the sky is the limit for Horn once he’s ready to return.