Washington Football Team: Five underrated options at No. 19 overall
By Ian Cummings
No. 2 – South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn
Cornerback isn’t an immediate need for the Washington Football Team. I’ll admit it. William Jackson III should provide the team with steady play for at least two seasons, and Kendall Fuller and Jimmy Morleand both project well in the future.
Having said this, cornerback is one position that shouldn’t be settled at. In the modern, pass-happy NFL, teams can never have too many good cornerbacks, and high-level cornerbacks can also free up other versatile players in the secondary to play different roles. If Jaycee Horn falls to No. 19, he’s almost a must-pick, by virtue of his upside in this sense.
Horn is an elite athlete with an elite competitive motor. He’s close to a top ten prospect on my board, and while I like Patrick Surtain II, Greg Newsome, Caleb Farley, and other cornerbacks, Horn is my CB1. With a long 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame, a 4.39 40-yard dash, a 41.5-inch vertical, and 33-inch arms, Horn legitimately checks almost all the boxes physically, and mentally, he’s an alpha in every sense of the word.
Horn can be too aggressive at times, and he can also get tied up with his feet, but there aren’t many bad things to say about Horn, and he offers legitimate lockdown cornerback upside. Were he to fall, and were he to be selected by Washington, he’d immediately start on the boundary alongside William Jackson III, and he’d free up Kendall Fuller to play more at free safety, where he flourished in Kansas City.
One of Fuller’s best traits is his versatility as a defensive back, and the addition of Horn would not only add an elite talent at cornerback, but allow Washington to keep more exceptional players on the field at once. Think of it as essentially adding a cornerback and a free safety by adding one player. That’s the flexibility Horn can provide, on top of his top-tier fundamental traits.
Truth be told, I don’t expect Horn to be available at No. 19. But you never know how the board is going to fall. If he’s there, I’d seriously consider taking him.