PFF analyst doesn’t believe potential Saints target Jaycee Horn is a first-round pick

The New Orleans Saints are going to be in the market for a cornerback before the commencement of the 2021 season. Whether it be on the free agency market with the little cap space they have left or in the draft, New Orleans should add another cornerback to pair with Marshon Lattimore.

They have a few cornerbacks on the roster. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Patrick Robinson can both provide enough quality snaps for the team to get by, but releasing Janoris Jenkins will likely force them to fill that CB2 role.

Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson isn’t a huge fan of cornerback Jaycee Horn, a player the Saints may consider targeting with their first-round pick.

With that need in mind, the Saints may opt to target a cornerback in the first round. There will be a plethora of options for them to choose from, but the question is who will be there when they actually get on the clock at 28.

It’s assumed that Patrick Surtain and Caleb Farley will be off the board. According to CBS Sports’ draft prospect rankings, Asante Samuel Jr. will also be gone, currently slotted in as the 26th-best prospect.

Right behind him is Jaycee Horn, son of legendary Saints receiver Joe Horn.

He’s currently ranked as the 30th-best recruit. Don’t tell Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson that though as he doesn’t see Horn as a player that should be a first-round pick, and he explains in detail why that is.

Now, Monson does make good points. However, Horn may have actually improved his stock during his Pro Day with a few unexpected results in the 40-yard dash and vertical jump.

"“Junior cornerback Jaycee Horn posted some insane numbers while working out for NFL brass, recording a 40-yard dash time of 4.39, and posting a vertical jump of 41.5 inches. The showing has Horn as a legitimate contender to be the first defensive back off the board in next month’s draft,” Garnet and Cocky’s Jacob Elsey wrote."

Horn also had the No. 1 opponent’s completion percentage allowed in coverage in the SEC last season. That’s not to say he’s going to be a stud at the next level, but it will be interesting to see which scouts and analysts love Horn and which will be favoring a player like Asante Samuel Jr.

If Monson is correct, Horn doesn’t have that Richard Sherman-caliber upside to his game. Being able to jam receivers and recover well is how Sherman made a living for himself with the Seattle Seahawks. If Horn can get better at that, he’ll have a shot.

But as Monson noted, he was lit up against Alabama’s Devonta Smith, arguably the best receiver in the draft class, so it’d difficult to see if he has the ability to be a high-level cornerback in the NFL.

Smith and Henry Ruggs in 2019 combined for over 250 receiving yards against the Gamecocks. As a junior at South Carolina, Horn recorded 16 tackles and 2 interceptions in 7 games.