ESPN: NFL execs rank Panthers all-star Jaycee Horn among top 10 cornerbacks

Finally, a Panther gets some recognition.

Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) is called for pass interferference on a pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (1) in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

ESPN has been releasing poll results, essentially compiling all votes to establish the top 10 at a given position in the NFL. Cornerback was just completed, and Jaycee Horn's arrival on the list marks the first time a Carolina Panthers player has been named.

One might've thought that Chuba Hubbard or Derrick Brown could've scraped onto their respective lists, but neither did. To date, at all positions revealed from ESPN's poll of executives, coaches, and scouts, the Panthers have had no top-10 players until now.

Horn firmly slotted in at the seventh spot, potentially making his once-record-setting contract a little more digestible. His highest ranking was three, so some execs really like what Horn brings to the table in the secondary.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said, "Healthy for a full season for the first time in his career, Horn put together a complete performance. His 68 tackles (five for loss), two sacks, and 13 pass deflections reminded scouts why they saw him as a top-10 talent in the 2021 draft," he said.

An NFC scout said the only issue is his health and added, "When he's been on the field the past three years, he's been good. Can play inside and out, urgent and physical in the run game." His "physicality," as Fowler noted, shows up on Sundays. Another NFC offensive coach said it's hard to run a "duo" play, which is set up to get the running back to the second level of the defense against weaker defenders in tackling. But with Horn in that level, those plays don't work well.

"That's supposed to be the worst tackler of the (defense) -- not him," the coach added. "He'll clean that up." Per Fowler, Horn yielded 5.56 yards per target, a really solid metric among the others on the top-10 list.

An NFL coordinator added some praise, "Excellent in bump man [coverage], a very good blitzer and tackler." All this and more shows why GM Dan Morgan gave the cornerback a $100 million contract. It's since been beaten twice, but at the time, Horn was the highest-paid DB ever.

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