5 Panthers players whose hype train is rolling entering 2022 season

Jaycee Horn – Carolina Panthers CB

It was a small sample size from Jaycee Horn last season before breaking his foot in Week 3 at the Houston Texans. But now that the cornerback is back to full health, there is a tremendous amount of excitement about the former No. 8 overall selection potentially taking the NFL by storm in 2021.

The Carolina Panthers took their time with Horn this summer. Soreness following an early conditioning test in camp probably dictated such a path, but putting the South Carolina product in harm’s way unnecessarily just wasn’t the best course of action given his importance.

Horn came to life later in the preparation period and he got a good taste of gameday action against the Buffalo Bills during Carolina’s final warmup outing. It’s all systems go for the gifted corner, who could form an exceptional trio alongside Donte Jackson and C.J. Henderson this season.

There is a swagger to Horn’s play that’s easy to root for. His alpha mindset and elite athletic qualities are sure to be of significant use to the Panthers in 2021 and hopefully, there will be no more complications on the health front.

It’s hard to gauge what Horn’s ceiling is right now. But expectations could not be higher en route to a potential Pro Bowl-caliber campaign that might put him in the hunt for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.