Jaycee Horn Belongs in Defensive Rookie of the Year Conversation

Jaycee Horn was the first defensive player selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, but oddsmakers aren’t sold on his chances to be the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

WynnBET has the Carolina Panthers rookie cornerback in eighth on its odds list for the award at just +1600 odds. What may hurt Horn even more is that Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who was drafted after Horn, has better odds at +1200. 

Despite being touted as the top defensive player in the draft, Horn doesn’t seem to have much support from Vegas. Still, his teammates believe he will firmly be in the conversation during the 2021 season.

“Jaycee Horn, he’s one of those guys who can compete to be defensive rookie of the year,” Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter said. “From what I’ve seen at OTAs, that’s the kind of player he’s capable of being.”

Horn is joining a defense that features a lot of young talent including Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn, Derrick Brown and Donte Jackson. While Carolina was in the middle of the pack defensively last season, allowing the 15th-most yards per game and points, it has a real chance to turn its young core into one of the better defensive units in the league. 

Oddsmakers may not be confident in Horn’s ability to make a major impact in his rookie season, but cornerbacks have actually fared pretty well in the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year voting the past few years. 

Two of the last six players to win the award were cornerbacks in Marshon Lattimore (2017) and Marcus Peters (2015). While pass rushers have dominated the award the past two seasons, Horn could be the player that changes that trend in a class that didn’t have a standout rusher.

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