NFL execs tell ESPN Panthers star Jaycee Horn one of the biggest top 100 snubs

Jaycee Horn didn't get ranked properly.

Jul 26, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) rides to practice during training camp. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The NFL's annual top 100 list dropped recently after a lengthy reveal process counting them down, but there weren't any Carolina Panthers on the list. This might not be a huge surprise, but you can also argue that some players certainly could be considered in the NFL's top 100, even if just barely.

Jaycee Horn is certainly one of them. He really broke out thanks to a full season of health last year (almost), so he combined his usually elite play with games played, and it resulted in a Pro Bowl season. It did not, somehow, warrant a spot in the top 100, and that was an oversight, according to some NFL executives.

Jaycee Horn somehow left off NFL top 100 list

Feb 1, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) during NFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jaycee Horn has long been a great cornerback, he just didn't have much of a sample size due to injuries. However, that wasn't the case in 2024, but it wasn't enough to rank in the NFL's top 100, and he landed on a list of the biggest snubs alongside Brian Burns, Joe Alt, DeVonta Smith, Vita Vea, and James Cook.

"A finally healthy Horn -- who would have been the only Panther in the top 100 if chosen -- is emerging as one of the game's best all-around corners," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote.

Fowler added that Horn is "the rare corner who can play man coverage on the outside or with the physicality of a safety when inside the box." He recorded 68 tackles (five for loss), two sacks, and 13 pass deflections en route to a $100 million extension.

"I really think he has a chance to be a special player and a face of that franchise," said a high-ranking NFL personnel man. "He's what you want." Apparently, those who vote on the NFL Top 100 did not necessarily agree.

Not everyone can make the top 100 list, and there were obviously a lot of deserving names, but it's hard to say Horn shouldn't have been voted in based on what he was able to finally do in a larger slate in 2024.

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