Re-grading the Carolina Panthers draft class after dismal 2021 season

Jaycee Horn – Carolina Panthers CB

There will always be a sense of what might have been for Jaycee Horn during his rookie campaign. The No. 8 overall selection brought an instant swagger to the Carolina Panthers, emerging as an alpha on defense and a potential shutdown cornerback in the making before disaster struck in Week 3.

Horn took a tumble on Thursday Night Football at the Houston Texans, breaking his foot that put him on the shelf for the rest of 2021. This was a significant blow to the player and the Panthers, who were never quite the same in the secondary despite the in-season acquisitions of Stephon Gilmore and C.J. Henderson.

Much has been made of Carolina passing on a potential franchise quarterback or premier left tackle. Especially considering the season Rashawn Slater put together with the Los Angeles Chargers en route to a second-team All-Pro selection. But that should not detract from what a special player Horn can become providing he returns at 100 percent in 2022.

There is every chance Horn could become a cornerstone for Carolina. His physicality, football IQ, and athleticism are all the hallmarks of a top-level talent at the corner position, and the impression he made ever so briefly left everyone associated with the organization wanting more.

Grade: B+

Horn is going to be a stud. But it’s hard to look at how things transpired elsewhere on the Panthers to see that Justin Fields or Slater might have been the better choice.