There aren’t many cornerbacks in the NFL better than Jaycee Horn, even despite his frustrating injury woes. In fact, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar can use one hand to count the players he thinks currently outmatch the Carolina Panthers defender.
Farrar released his rankings of the NFL’s best 11 corners on Thursday. Horn sounds in at No. 5—behind only Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander (No. 4), Philadelphia’s Darius Slay (No. 3) and James Bradberry (No. 1) and New York’s Sauce Gardner:
At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, with a 77th percentile wingspan and a 93rd percentile arm length, Horn would seem to be a natural in press man coverage. The interesting thing about his 2022 tape, therefore, is how well he played in soft and off coverage, which he did most of the time, and certainly on most of the plays he prevented.
Horn’s overall numbers were great — 28 catches allowed on 47 targets for 310 yards, 83 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 52.6 — but when you watch his 2022 tape, it’s really his growth and development in all schemes and concepts that stood out — and made him one of the NFL’s best overall cornerbacks.
Again, Horn’s absences have been a pain to deal with—for both him and a thin Panthers secondary. 2021’s eighth overall pick, who is currently dealing with another foot injury, has missed 17 of a possible 33 games to start his pro career.
Nonetheless, Horn is a dynamic presence when he’s on the field, one that changes the Carolina defense entirely. And if he’s present in 2023, he could make a run even higher up this list.
(Oh, and the by the way—kudos to our old pal James Bradberry, huh?)
