The Carolina Panthers ended the 2025 NFL Draft as they began it. That was by getting quarterback Bryce Young more help in the passing game.
This one was less heralded than Tetairoa McMillan, taken No. 8 overall. However, that doesn't mean there isn't some curiosity attached to Carolina's sixth-round selection.
Jimmy Horn Jr. was the guy. What the wideout lacks in size, he more than makes up for with elusiveness. The Colorado prospect's low center of gravity and on-field vision represent different traits from what Carolina currently possesses. Dave Canales typically likes his wideouts to be bigger, but adding this sort of dynamic threat increases the schematic possibilities if nothing else.
Getting drafted was the easy part for Horn. He was taken pretty far down the pecking order, so the pass-catcher will have to work his way up just like everybody else. He's got the mentality to do just that, and learning from someone like Adam Thielen is only going to help his cause.
Carolina Panthers add another intriguing WR for quarterback Bryce Young
Thielen is going to be 35 years old next season. He contemplated retirement this offseason but gave it another go-around thanks to his belief in Young. He'll be only too happy to steer Horn on the right path to ensure he leaves the Panthers in a good place.
Horn is a route technician, just like Thielen. He's a weapon over the short-to-intermediate areas, just like Thielen. He's adept at finding soft spots in zone coverage to exploit, just like Thielen.
There is concern about how Horn is going to cope against bigger, more imposing corners in the pros. He'll get a crash course in that over the offseason, going up against Mike Jackson Sr. and his namesake, Jaycee Horn. And if the Panthers had any sense, they'd give him all he can handle before identifying his specific role.
Expecting miracles right away would be unrealistic. But if Horn acquires some knowledge from Thielen and is allowed to develop at his own pace, the Panthers might be onto something.