South Carolina's Jaycee Horn Could Grab Eagles Attention
PHILADELPHIA - Jaycee Horn has everything needed to be a successful cornerback in the NFL.
The former South Carolina star has the requisite athleticism, all the confidence you could ever ask for at a position where shrinking violets need not apply, and even the NFL pedigree as the son of Joe Horn, the former Falcons and Saints receiver who spent over a decade in the NFL and made four Pro Bowls.
"My younger brother, Jacob, plays receiver, my older brother plays receiver like my dad," said Horn during his Pro Day availability on Tuesday afternoon. "I’m the only guy on the defensive side. My dad pushed me that way, because of the aggression I had growing up."
The early rumblings had Horn as a top-three CB in the 2021 draft class, alongside Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley and Alabama's Patrick Surtain II, the latter, like Horn, a legacy after his father who was a three-time Pro Bowl selection himself over a decade in Miami and Kansas City.
Mix in Florida State's Asante Samuel, Jr., the son of the former Patriots and Eagles star, and the 2021 class is rich with second-generation talent at the position.
Horn believes he's the best option available, not only among the legacies or at CB itself, but the whole defensive class.
“I feel like I’m the best defensive player in the draft,” Horn said. “I’m versatile. I got the size, speed, and I’m athletic. I faced every receiver’s body type from [Florida tight end/flex receiver] Kyle Pitts to [Ole Miss WR] Elijah Moore and [Alabama Heisman Trophy winner] DeVonta Smith.
"I feel like I am the best defensive player in the draft.”
Horn is a consensus first-round pick and most credible mock drafts have the Atlanta-area native going in the top half of the first round and many have him in the top 10 now, something buoyed by back surgery for Farley.
The Eagles, of course, stand at No. 6 overall and while that might seem a little rich for Horn, there's always the opportunity that Philadelphia drops back a few spots with a quarterback-needy team moving up.
On Tuesday, the Eagles signed South Jersey native Joe Flacco, an established veteran quarterback, to backup Jalen Hurts, seemingly in line with Jeffrey Lurie's reported decree to the personnel staff to build around Hurts.
At six, the playmakers - think Pitts or Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle - remain the most likely route for Philadelphia but a move back a few spots would certainly put Surtain and Horn in play.
Horn, who is 6-0, 205, said he expected to meet with the Eagles after his pro day on Wednesday.
One of the Eagles coaches - presumably DB coach Dennard Wilson - was one of five coaches putting Horn through his pro day drills on Wednesday.
Horn put on a show, clocking a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash with a 41.5 vertical jump.
The Eagles need help at outside CB opposite Darius Slay and had scheduled a visit with free agent Adoree Jackson on Monday, but the New York Giants locked up the former first-round pick with a big-money deal before he could even get on the New Jersey Turnpike.
That means the position remains a significant need and count Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy among those in Horn's camp.
“To me, Jaycee Horn out of South Carolina, another bigger, longer body guy, is better than [Surtain or Farley],” Nagy told The [Columbia, S.C.] State news service. “The reason I like Jaycee so much is, one, when you talk about press-man and off-man, Jaycee probably does both things better than the other two — in terms of having versatility and how you can use him. Two, I just love the confidence, the swag, and the aggressiveness that he plays with.”
Horn honed his skills and developed that confidence against his father and brothers, who were also receivers: Joe Horn Jr., who played at Northwest Missouri State, and Jaycob, a Texas State wideout.
"My ball skills he always harped on, said if I could do that at the cornerback position, one day I’ll make a lot of money," he said. "We’d go back and forth about it. I pick on my dad telling him he wouldn’t be able to get open on me."
That premonition is about to come to fruition for Horn after a career at South Carolina featuring 29 starts against the top competition available at the college level.
Horn opted out early last season after head coach Will Muschamp was fired and took some heat for it on social media from those who didn't understand the context of his family's issues with COVID-19. Horn explained his aunt passed away from complications due to the virus.
“When I opted that, it was tough them calling me a quitter, questioning my integrity while losing my aunt at the same time, it’s frustrating and had me mad,” Horn said. “There was a little Twitter war just cause I was emotional because I feel like no human should act like that to another human being without knowing the whole story. I just lost my aunt and you’re over here talking about football?
“I can tell you now, if I went back I’d do it again. I put my family before anything. I feel like my teammates and my coaches know how much I love the game of football. That’s the one time I put my family before the game and if I could go back I’d do it again.”
Family comes first in the Horn household.
"I feel like [getting drafted] will be a thing for us being a football family," he said. "My dad played a long time in the league and I’m kind of used to the NFL. It will definitely be fun being able to live out my dream and my dad seeing me playing the same league he dominated in. It’s a blessing all around."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Thursday on The Middle with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, former Eagles OT Barrett Brooks streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and SportsMap Radio. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
