See What Jaycee Horn Had to Say About Being Drafted by the Panthers

The new Panthers corner talks about becoming a Panther.

The Carolina Panthers selected South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn with the 8th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Shortly following the selection, Horn joined the Panthers media on a Zoom call to talk about getting drafted to Carolina.

RE: Being drafted by the Panthers

"It means a lot. Just a lot of work put behind it, a lot of people mentoring me and helping mold me to get me to this moment. Staying close to home and South Carolina, I’m still in the Carolinas, so that’s a blessing all around."

RE: Being top corner taken

"It wasn’t really important for me to be the top corner taken. I was just confident and believed in my technique and the way I play the game. I felt like I was the best."

RE: When he knew Carolina liked him

"When Coach Rhule came to my Pro Day, I had a good idea. Just talking to him throughout that whole process, I kind of knew that they liked me. Then last night, Coach Rhule called me and I came into today hoping that they would take me at 8. That was a perfect landing spot for me. That all worked out the right way."

RE: Matchups with bigger WRs in NFC South

"I definitely feel like that’s one of my strengths, being able to matchup against bigger receivers because of my size. I’ve also got the speed and feet to match routes well with those great receivers in the conference. I can definitely understand the thought process behind the pick, and I’m definitely ready to go prove them right."

RE: Influence of his dad, Joe Horn

"It helped me a lot, just him telling me stuff throughout my whole life. It just came full circle when going through the process. It’s come full circle, and it definitely helped.

"I never disliked the Panthers. He never told me anything about the Panthers. I know he had a couple of big games against them, but he never said anything negative about them."

RE: What type of things stood out to Horn on his journey

"Really just all the hard work, the extra hours, the extra studying is all just paying off in this moment. I’ve been playing football my whole life and been looking forward to this moment. But there’s a lot more work to be done. I’ve got a lot of gas left in the tank. I’m just ready to get to work."

RE: His style of playing with an edge

"I don’t think there will be a problem keeping it. That’s just who I am. I’ve always played with it, so I don’t ever see myself losing that edge. It’s a big part of my game."