Dave Canales has 3 words on Panthers rookie standout Jimmy Horn's game

The Carolina Panthers are coming off a seventh consecutive losing campaign, the last six with double-digit defeats. However, under first-time NFL head coach Dave Canales, the team won four of its final nine games in 2024 after a rough 1-7 start.

This 5-12 club had many issues to address in every aspect this offseason. Offensively, the Panthers finished 30th in the league in passing yards per game, despite quarterback Bryce Young’s promising second-half performance. That’s one reason general manager used a first-round pick on wideout Tetairoa McMillan, and a sixth-round selection on University of Colorado speedster Jimmy Horn Jr.

Dave Canales impressed with rookie Jimmy Horn Jr.’s game

The Panthers are in the early stages of training camp, but the team’s sideline leader had this short but sweet evaluation of Horn.

Dave Canales on Jimmy Horn: Love the way he plays football. Everything he does is fast. “It’s all gas.”
— Joe Person (@josephperson) July 24, 2025

Horn played two seasons at South Florida before moving onto the University of Colorado in 2023. In four collegiate seasons, he totaled 162 receptions for 1,967 yards and 11 scores. He also finished with a combined 17 rushing attempts for 128 yards and one touchdown. Horn also returned 33 kickoffs, one for a TD, and 14 punts during his college career.

That latter experience would be highly beneficial to Canales’s club. Only two teams in the league averaged fewer yards per punt return than the Panthers this past season. Carolina was also a dismal 29th in the NFL in kickoff return average.

Aug 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (5) runs after a reception in the first half against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had this pre-draft scouting report of the 5’8”, 174-pound speedster, and correctly projected him as a sixth- or seventh-round pick. “Horn is small but competitive and has the speed to make teams pay attention,” explained Zierlein. “The target rate and production dipped in 2024, but the hands and catch consistency were vastly improved from 2023. He needs to prove he can uncover against a more athletic and physical brand of coverage in the league.

“Horn catches in traffic without hesitation,” added Zierlein, “and has the wiggle and gas to hit a big play once it is in his hands. The size and durability will concern teams, but he’s fast and fearless, which will appeal to squads looking to stretch the field from the slot.”

Along with giving Young an explosive option, it would certainly be a “gas” if Horn can give the Panthers’ offense better field position on a regular basis.

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