2021 NFL Draft cornerback rankings: Patrick Surtain II leads strong group

3. Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
6-foot-1, 200 pounds
2021 NFL draft grade: First round

Another corner who made an impact from day one in the SEC is Jaycee Horn out of South Carolina. As a freshman, he started 10 games and became just the seventh true freshman to start in the season opener in Gamecock history. In 2019, he started all 12 games and led the team with nine pass breakups. This past season he only played in seven games but still was named second-team All-SEC. He wrapped up his career with South Carolina with a strong pro day where he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and had a 41.5-inch vertical jump.

A team looking for a long, athletic and fast corner will love what Horn has to offer. According to Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network, Horn posted the most impressive testing numbers of any cornerback in the past 34 years at his pro day. To go along with these impressive testing numbers Horn is a physical corner who does an outstanding job of breaking up the pass with his physical coverage.

While Horn does an outstanding job of playing man-to-man, he does have some troubles in zone coverage. This is due to him only showing average awareness when it comes to mirroring receiver routes. Another concern with him is that despite breaking up 23 passes over the past three years he has only intercepted two passes over the same time frame. One more thing Horn can work on is how well he plays the run. He is not very aggressive when it comes to getting off blocks and also misses his share of tackles.

Two teams that seem to be showing a lot of interest in Horn are the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals. Both of these teams pick in the middle of the first round where Horn will likely come off the board and his playing style would be a good fit for both teams.