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USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Panthers' Jaycee Horn ranked surprisingly low on PFF's top CBs list
Panthers' Jaycee Horn ranked surprisingly low on PFF's top CBs list Well, maybe Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn does have room to bounce back in 2025 after all. Pro Football Focus released their list of the NFL's top 32 corners on Tuesday. And Horn, even after earning his first Pro Bowl selection as well as a massive four-year, $100 million contract extension earlier this year, sits all the way down at No. 25 in the rankings. John Kosko, a PFF contributor, wrote the following on the former eighth overall pick: Horn is talented but has struggled with injuries in the NFL. Despite being the league's second-highest-paid cornerback, Horn ranks only 23rd in PFF advanced coverage grade over the past three seasons and 23rd in standard PFF coverage grade (79.6) across the past two. Horn produced some better-looking results for the more conventional stats in 2024. The 25-year-old posted career-highs this past season in combined tackles (68), sacks (2.0), passes defensed (13) and, most importantly, games played (15). PFF had Horn ranked 30th in their list prior to the 2024 campaign. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers 2024 Pro Bowl CB Jaycee Horn tabbed as team's 'bounce-back candidate' for 2025
Panthers 2024 Pro Bowl CB Jaycee Horn tabbed as team's 'bounce-back candidate' for 2025 Which Carolina Panthers player is primed to bounce back here in 2025? Well, what about one of their two Pro Bowlers from 2024? (Yup, you read that correctly.) Pro Football Focus contributor Dalton Wasserman recently named one bounce-back candidate for each NFL team, and tabbed cornerback Jaycee Horn for the Panthers. So, yes, even despite securing the first Pro Bowl selection of his career this past season, the fifth-year defender still has room to improve. Wasserman explains: Horn's 2024 season had its ups and downs. On the positive side, he played over 1,000 snaps for the first time in his career and earned a team-high 80.9 run-defense grade. However, he also posted a career-low 59.1 coverage grade. He wasn't helped by a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league across the board. The improvement of his supporting cast — including the addition of safety Tre'Von Moehrig — should benefit Horn as much as anyone. As noted by Wasserman, Horn's 59.1 coverage grade was the worst of his four-year tenure. He earned a 67.4 grade over three games as a rookie in 2021, a 73.2 in 2022 and an 83.0 in 2023. Horn did, however, play in a career-high 15 games in 2024—perhaps the most valuable stat given his early injury history. That availability helped him notch a few more bests in combined tackles (68), tackles for a loss (five), sacks (2.0) and passes defensed (13). Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers mock draft roundup 9.0: Tracking the latest 2025 projections
Panthers mock draft roundup 9.0: Tracking the latest 2025 projections With the 2025 NFL draft now less than two weeks away, most folks seem to believe that there's one particular prospect who's a perfect match for the Carolina Panthers. But perhaps predicting this year's eighth overall pick isn't really that simple. Here is our latest mock draft roundup, which features six different players from six different scenarios . . . Draft Wire Pick: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M Author: Jeff Risdon Take: Stewart is a very tough draft nut to crack, as noted here. The Panthers are in a good spot to weigh the athletic reward over the (to this point) meager production risk. Pick: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas (Projected trade to No. 12 with Dallas Cowboys) Author: Gennaro Filice Take: Alignment versatility's all the rage among NFL pass catchers. Consequently, inside/outside ability's never been more valuable to NFL defenses. And that's exactly what Barron provides. Having just won the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's top defensive back, the Texas product lined up all over the field as a starter for the last three seasons, deftly executing different techniques across myriad coverages. Then he put the cherry on top with a 4.39 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. Carolina just locked up CB1 Jaycee Horn through 2029. Jahdae can be the resourceful Robin to Jaycee's Batman. ESPN Pick: Jalon Walker, EDGE/LB, Georgia Author: Mel Kiper Jr. Take: No change on my Panthers pick projection, as this makes it four mock drafts in a row for Walker to Carolina. He's an explosive defender with bend and versatility. I like him at off-ball linebacker -- he'd make plays all over the field for the Panthers with sideline-to-sideline speed. But he could absolutely rush off the edge, too; he had 6.5 sacks last season. This Carolina defense was the worst in the NFL in yards allowed per play (6.0), yards allowed per rush (5.2), opponent QBR (64.8), points allowed per game (31.4) and opponent third-down rate (50.2%) last season. Walker would help no matter where he lines up. The Athletic Pick: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona Author: Nick Baumgardner Take: The tape tells the story with McMillan — and part of that story is that his less-than-stellar 40 time isn't that big a deal. McMillan was a man among children at times in college and has the ability to help Bryce Young and this young Panthers offense immediately. CBS Sports Pick: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan Author: Chris Trapasso Take: With Johnson and the newly minted Jaycee Horn, the Panthers would have two instinctive and athletic perimeter corners. Yahoo Sports Pick: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia Author: Nate Tice Take: Any defender makes sense for the Panthers, who trotted out one of the worst defensive units in the NFL last year. Williams' best football is ahead of him. He has the potential to be one of the best run stoppers in the league and has a developing pass rush arsenal. Williams should be a good contributor against the run right away as he works on other parts of the game, but most importantly there's not a lot of bad on Williams' tape. So even though he's a project in some ways, he's going to be still giving the Panthers winning reps as he hones in his talent. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers mock draft roundup 7.0: Tracking the latest 2025 projections
The Carolina Panthers were pretty busy during the early stages of free agency last week. But did their work on the open market change their outlook for the 2025 NFL draft? Well, let's see what the experts and their new mock drafts think. Here are the latest first-round projections for Panthers and this year's eighth overall pick: Draft Wire Pick: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan Author: Curt Popejoy Take: The Panthers have been very active in free agency so they can go after a shutdown cornerback to pair up with Jaycee Horn. USA Today Pick: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE, Georgia Advertisement Author: Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz Take: After general manager Dan Morgan established the defensive line as his team's primary point of focus entering free agency, the Panthers missed out on defensive tackle Milton Williams before settling on Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III. But Carolina shouldn't respond by insisting on spending its top draft pick up front, as Walker might be the most disruptive defensive prospect available at this point.. Pick: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan Author: Daniel Jeremiah Take: The Panthers came up a little short in their pursuit of Milton Williams in free agency, but they get another chance to bolster the interior defensive line here. Graham would be a key addition for a defense that ranked last in yards and points allowed last season. ESPN Pick: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE, Georgia Advertisement Author: Mel Kiper Jr. Take: Carolina's biggest weakness last season was the defense. It allowed 6.0 yards per play and surrendered 31.4 points per game. Those league-worst numbers were clearly on Panthers general manager Dan Morgan's mind during free agency, when the team inked Tre'von Moehrig, Tershawn Wharton, Pat Jones II and Christian Rozeboom. But Morgan shouldn't stop there. Drafting Walker would give Carolina a versatile defender who can play off-ball linebacker (where I have him ranked) or on the edge. He had 62 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2024, and his sideline-to-sideline speed and first-step burst are really awesome traits.. CBS Sports Pick: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan Advertisement Author: Chris Trapasso Take: With Johnson and the newly minted Jaycee Horn, the Panthers would have two instinctive and athletic perimeter corners. Pro Football Focus Pick: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan Author: John Kosko Take: The Panthers trotted out one of the worst defensive lines in the NFL in 2024. Here, they select the disruptive Graham to help fix that. While his lower weight at the NFL Combine was shocking, his tape is still incredible, as his career PFF overall grade (92.5) indicates. Yahoo Sports Pick: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M Author: Charles McDonald Take: Stewart's production makes him a risk, but for a team that needs juice off the edge like the Panthers, his potential makes him an intriguing dice roll at the top of the draft. Some teams will look at Stewart's build and his 4.59 40-yard dash from the scouting combine and fall in love sooner than later. According to TruMedia, the Panthers' defense finished dead last in pressure percentage last season (25.2%). This may be the type of risk the Panthers are willing to take. The 33rd Team Pick: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama Advertisement Author: Kyle Crabbs Take: Carolina has gotten serious in a big way about improving its defense this offseason. It has signed big free agent contracts for Bobby Brown, Trevon Moehrig, and Tershawn Wharton. Now, it lands a glue piece in the middle to help tie everything together. This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers mock draft roundup 7.0: Tracking the latest 2025 projections
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers great Cam Newton is asked if he thinks CB Jaycee Horn deserves his extension
Cam Newton, seemingly without a doubt, believes Jaycee Horn is the best player the Carolina Panthers currently have. But does that mean he also believes the 25-year-old cornerback deserves the big-money deal he just received? That deal went down last Monday, when the Panthers and Horn came to terms on a four-year extension worth up to $108 million. The contract, at least at the time, made the former eighth overall pick the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history—a title that has since been taken by Houston's Derek Stingley Jr. Regardless, it's a huge investment by the Panthers—and Newton was asked for his thoughts on the pact during last week's episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton. Here was his response: Horn was named to his first Pro Bowl this past season—where he notched career-highs in combined tackles (68), tackles for a loss (five), sacks (2.0), passes defensed (13) and games played (15). This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers great Cam Newton gives his opinion on Jaycee Horn's extension
