Why the Dallas Cowboys need to take Jaycee Horn with the 10th pick
With the NFL Draft just three days away, the speculation about who the Dallas Cowboys are going to pick with their first-round selection is heating up. Cornerback is the position that many Cowboys fans and NFL Draft gurus believe Dallas will address in the first-round. The question is which one should they take? As of […]
With the NFL Draft just three days away, the speculation about who the Dallas Cowboys are going to pick with their first-round selection is heating up.
Cornerback is the position that many Cowboys fans and NFL Draft gurus believe Dallas will address in the first-round. The question is which one should they take?
As of right now, Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II seems to be the most likely candidate to land in Dallas. Surtain II possesses all the tools to be an elite cornerback at the NFL level and was teammates with current Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs, so it makes sense.
However, as good as Surtain is, I am pounding the table for Jerry Jones to take Jaycee Horn out of South Carolina.
JAYCEE HORN IS THE BEST CORNERBACK PROSPECT IN THIS DRAFT
In my opinion, Jaycee Horn is far-and-away the best defensive prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class. When you look at his total body of work, he doesn't have any true weaknesses.
Horn excels in both press-man and off man-coverage, zone coverage, and has the ability to play in the slot or outside; he's the total package.
That, combined with the fact that he's an athletic freak and has ideal size makes him a perfect fit for the Dallas Cowboys. At South Carolina's Pro Day, Horn measured in at 6ft, 205 pounds with 33" arms (93 percentile). At that size, he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, recorded a 41.5" vertical, and had a 133" broad jump, which puts him in the 96th percentile among cornerbacks since 1999 according to MockDraftable. He also put up 19 reps on the bench press (84th percentile), which is really solid.
But what intrigues me the most about Jaycee Horn is that he is battle tested, and he has the résumé to prove it (which is shown below).
Jaycee Horn has consistently shut down some of the best wide receivers in college football. The list above by PFF doesn't even mention his performances against AJ Brown, Henry Ruggs, and Terrace Marshall Jr. As a 19 year old, Horn was able to lock up your everyday NFL schedule as a cornerback at the next level, and no cornerback entering the NFL draft has ever been able to say that.
I think the experience that Jaycee Horn has gained while surviving this gauntlet is what will ultimately lead him to be the most successful cornerback from this draft class. He's shown that he's gotten better every single year at South Carolina from playing against the top competition in college football, and he's going to continue to get better at the next level.
What also makes Jaycee Horn the top cornerback in this draft class for me is his style of play. Horn's physicality and competitiveness gives me serious Jalen Ramsey vibes, and that's no overstatement. Horn is the type of player that wants to guard the opposing team's best player, and is going to talk trash to him the entire game. Jaycee Horn is a gamer and has that "dawg mentality" that every true number-one cornerback needs to have to succeed at the next level, and that's exactly what this Dallas Cowboys defense needs.
The bottom line is that Jaycee Horn is the best cornerback in the draft because he is pro ready, battle tested, a historically-great athlete, and is a straight up dawg.
If you don't believe me, take it from Florida TE Kyle Pitts, who's arguably the best overall prospect in this year's draft, who said Horn is the toughest player he's had to play against.
Jaycee Horn is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys need and Jerry Jones needs to be all over him with the 10th overall pick.
Featured Image Via © Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
