Steelers Scouting Profile: Jaycee Horn is a must draft at 24

Horn’s Cons

While his man coverage skills are unrivaled, Horns tackling ability is just the opposite. While he has the size and athleticism to thrive as a run stopper, he shows little technique and want to when it comes to tackling. Despite it being his best tape, I counted at least five times in his Auburn tape where he either didn’t try or was lazy when trying to tackle. The Steelers require their corners to be physical against the run. Horn is far from that right now.

Interesting to note, Horn got juked out of a route for a touchdown against LSU, and it seemed to light a bit of a fire in him. He seemed more aggressive and willing to throw himself into tackles. Now, that does not mean he was suddenly Mike Hilton, but he had a lot more willingness to try and tackle runners or tackle other receivers.

His talent in man coverage is worth noting, but so is how he uses his hands. He can constantly be seen making contact with receivers past five yards down the field, and as a pro that will get him into some serious penalty trouble. He will need to clean that up if he wants to be a long-term starter.

Lastly, and probably the least concerning of his cons is his lack of interceptions. For a player that was as good in coverage as he was last year, he only recorded two interceptions (the only two of his career). That may startle some fans who want more interceptions from their defense, but in the three games, I watched there weren’t a lot of opportunities to get those picks. It wouldn’t surprise me if/when those numbers jump once he is on a pro team.