4 players the Carolina Panthers could have picked instead of Jaycee Horn

Which players drafted after Jaycee Horn could the Carolina Panthers have potentially selected at pick No. 8 during the 2021 NFL Draft?

The Carolina Panthers held the No. 8 overall selection in last year’s draft following a 5-11 season and had a variety of different directions that they could have gone in.

The draft was the first in Carolina for general manager Scott Fitterer and second for head coach Matt Rhule. With the needs of quarterback, linebacker, offensive live, and cornerback, the team decided to take South Carolina stud Jaycee Horn to the surprise of many.

Horn was and is still a great talent but unfortunately, he was limited to just three games his rookie season before suffering a season-ending fractured foot on Thursday Night Football at the Houston Texans.

In those three games, though, Horn impressed. He showed the potential of being a lockdown cornerback moving forward and there weren’t any complaints about the selection.

However, after Horn went down, the Panthers showed that they have much bigger problems than cornerback and a handful of players selected not long after Horn in the draft went on to prove that they could have been extremely beneficial for Carolina this season.

In the long run, Horn might still be a great player for the Panthers and this conversation will be useless. But right now, Carolina fans can’t help but think what could have been if those in power had gone in a different direction last spring.

It’s only one season. But with how miserable the year was, any positives would have made a difference.

With that said, here are four players that the Panthers could have selected instead of Horn in the 2021 NFL Draft.