Jimmy Horn Jr. Reveals Ambitious Stat Goals For Rookie Season With Carolina Panthers

On the stat sheet and beyond, former Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. has high expectations entering his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers.

Horn, who was drafted in the sixth round of April's NFL Draft, revealed his Year 1 stat goals on Thursday while appearing on "Nightcamp," a popular live podcast hosted by former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. After an injury-hampered final year with the Buffs, Horn hopes to make an instant impact this upcoming season.

"For my on-field goals, when I catch my first NFL pass, I want to start from there and get a minimum of 250 yards," Horn said. "Zero drops, perfect the route tree and score my first NFL touchdown, and make sure I'm in that (wide receiver) rotation."

Jimmy Horn Jr. Stat Goals Rookie Season Carolina Panthers NFL Colorado Buffaloes Shannon Sharpe Chad Ochocinco Colorado Buffs — Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Colorado wideout Jimmy Horn (WO20) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Horn also hopes to find some success on special teams as a rookie return man.

"For the return goals, lock my role in as a punt returner or kick returner, take at least one return to the crib, and then I'm trying to be at least top-five for return average, and then no fumbles on the return," Horn said.

If Horn achieves his goals on both offense and special teams, that would be quite the rookie season for a sixth-round draft pick. Only 20 rookies had at least 250 receiving yards last year, and few also made a big impact in the return game.

During his second of two seasons with the Buffs, Horn started in 11 games while totaling 441 receiving yards and one touchdown. On special teams, the former South Florida transfer averaged 21 yards per kickoff return and 10.29 yards per punt return.

Locking down his mental game is also important for the first-year NFL wide receiver from Sanford, Florida.

"Mentally, I just want to be prepared for whatever comes my way," Horn said.

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Sharpe also asked Horn about how he has excelled this offseason in a wide receiver room that also includes first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and veteran Adam Thielen. Those three and Horn are critical for helping third-year quarterback Bryce Young take another step forward this upcoming season in powering Carolina's offense.

"It's really like a mentality thing," Horn said of his first summer in the NFL. "I know personally that I'm really that, so I go out there with a confidence, and I really learn from the guys ahead of me, just picking their game and coming out there being myself. Every day, I just come to practice. It's just part of the game."

Horn, McMillan and the rest of Carolina's rookie class will report to training camp on Monday. Not long after, the Panthers will face the Cleveland Browns (Aug. 8), Houston Texans (Aug. 16) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Aug. 21) in preseason action.