CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jaycee Horn's body was slanted toward the middle of the end zone during a one-on-one drill against fellow Carolina Panthers cornerback Dicaprio Bootle, but when the pass was thrown outside, he effortlessly twisted his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame and made a one-handed highlight-film catch.
The No. 8 overall pick of the 2021 draft believes he could have played wide receiver in the NFL like his dad, Joe Horn, a four-time Pro Bowl selection for the New Orleans Saints, if his high school team had not been stacked with receivers.
No regrets, though.
That's because Horn believes he is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL -- if he can stay healthy.
I think #Panthers corner Jaycee Horn likes playing wide receiver. What a one-handed catch. pic.twitter.com/mJvrHTLfVM
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) August 5, 2024
Staying on the field is the primary goal of the 24-year-old, who missed 29 of 51 possible games due to injury during his first three seasons. His 22 games played are the second fewest by a cornerback selected in the top 10 of the draft over the past 20 years.
Horn hasn't even approached the Panthers about a contract extension because he knows the only way to prove his worth is to play a full season -- and Carolina management hasn't seriously approached Horn about an extension because they need to see him play a full season to know his value.
His teammates already know.
"I call him Hundred Million Horn, because that's how much he's worth,'' veteran tight end Jordan Matthews said. "I'm just praying for health over him so he can show people what he can really do.''
Horn has done a lot of praying and soul-searching, too. His first three seasons have been frustrating, to say the least.
"I mean, that's how it is playing football when you have the game taken away from you and that's all you know,'' Horn said. "It's tough -- even tougher when you've got to deal with it in consecutive years.
"I just remind myself there's people who are way worse off. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other trying to make it happen.''
Putting a foot forward has been the issue. Horn missed the final 14 games of his rookie season in 2021 after fracturing three bones in his right foot during a Week 3 win against the Houston Texans. After getting in 13 games in Year 2, he missed offseason workouts last season with a Grade 2 pedal sprain of one of his ankles.
He then suffered a non-contact right hamstring injury in a Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that cost him 10 games.
It's that history that put Horn on a pitch count in training camp this year to help him stay healthy for the opener. His availability is more important than ever with uncertainty at the other corner spot, as Dane Jackson is out at least six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Panthers defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley says the luxury of having cornerback Jaycee Horn on the field is teams don't want to throw toward him. pic.twitter.com/1VElUT60Bz
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) August 22, 2024
With Horn on the field, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has the comfort of providing help on the opposite side.
"In our opinion, he's one of the top corners in this league,'' Evero said. "He's the type of guy you can put on one side and move coverage from him -- and put him on the toughest matchup on the other team. We're just not as good when he's not on the field.''
Horn has changed his routine to make sure he stays on the field.
He has a personal chef who keeps him on a diet that doesn't include his favorite fried chicken made by his mom.
He works more with heavy weights to strengthen his lower body. He spent much of the offseason in California at Proactive Sports working out with players such as New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off an Achilles injury.
Watching Rodgers put in the work he does at age 40 was motivational.
"Just for him to be doing that at his age, and to see all he's accomplished in this league, as a young player you put that in your toolbox,'' Horn said.
Being available to shut down top quarterbacks and pass catchers during the season is the ultimate goal and what could earn Horn a monster new deal.
Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers is the top-paid corner, with an average of $21 million per year. The Panthers believe Horn is one of their cornerstones, and according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, are preparing to pay top dollar to keep him.
"I see what a lot of these other top corners are doing,'' Horn said. "I feel I'm capable of doing the same thing.''
Going against Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson every day in practice has made him better.
"I've just got to be on the field,'' Horn said. "If I'm out there all year, I'll be able to say I'm one of the top.''
Matthews, 32, spent his first eight seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver before the Panthers converted him to tight end. He has gone against some of the top corners in the league, so when he says Horn can be elite, it comes from experience.
"He reminds me a lot of [Jalen] Ramsey -- long, extremely athletic, very smart too,'' he said of the seven-time Pro Bowl corner with the Miami Dolphins. "Competitive as all get-out. He can shut down half the field.''
The past few years of watching more games on television than he played has been mentally taxing for Horn. He admits there were times when he has turned off the game out of frustration.
"Because it just hurts, man, especially when the team is struggling and you feel you can make an impact,'' he said.
But Horn hasn't gotten so low that he contemplated life without football.
"Hell no!'' Horn said. "Like, no! That's not in my cards. I just keep doing what I can do to stay healthy. I'm blessed. I've just got to attack every day with that mindset.''