Patriots On Hand To Scout One Of NFL Draft’s Top Cornerback Prospects

The New England Patriots could wind up trading Stephon Gilmore this offseason. Perhaps they might replace him with another South Carolina cornerback.

The Patriots were in attendance Wednesday at Jaycee Horn’s Gamecocks pro day, according to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, sending a defensive backs coach to work out the highly touted prospect.

Horn, the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, is one of the top players at his position in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he boosted his stock further with a superb pro day workout. Measuring in at 6 feet, 205 pounds, he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, jumped 41.5 inches in the vertical and 133 inches in the broad and pumped out 19 bench press reps.

The Patriots have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Horn at No. 15 overall, but he could wind up going even higher, especially with projected top-15 pick Caleb Farley undergoing pre-draft back surgery.

Many draft analysts now view Horn and Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II as this year’s top two cornerback prospects.

Horn has been lauded for his size/length, physicality, man coverage ability and ball skills — a skill set that aligns with what New England typically looks for in its perimeter cornerbacks. He allowed just eight catches on 24 targets for 116 yards and three touchdowns in seven games last season, per Pro Football Focus, registering two interceptions and six passes defended.

Here’s how NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein described Horn in his NFL.com draft profile:

“Three-year starter with tantalizing combination of size and length that is clearly effective when matched in tight man coverage. Horn can line up in any cover scheme and often traveled with the opponent’s most talented target. He plays with desired eye discipline from zone and the talent to impede release from press. He does an above-average job of closing, crowding and eliminating comfortable windows for quarterbacks to throw into, but his route anticipation is average. Horn can play with solid technique, but he became too reliant on the college game’s tendency to allow mauling beyond five yards and that must be cleaned up moving forward. He needs more consistent effort in run support, but the traits and upside are extremely appealing despite a lack of high-end ball production. Horn offers immediate starting help with a high upside.”

The Patriots addressed all of their immediate needs during their recent blitz of free agent signings, affording them flexibility as they head into the draft. They could use their draft capital (10 total picks this year) to trade up in the first round for a quarterback, but if they opt to target a different position, Horn would be an intriguing option.

Cornerback is an area of uncertainty for New England with Gilmore in need of a pay bump or trade, restricted free agent J.C. Jackson tendered at the second-round level (making him a potential target for other teams) and unrestricted free agent Jason McCourty still unsigned.