4 dream scenarios for Cleveland Browns in Round 1
By Greg Newland
3. Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
While the Cleveland Browns appear to have two solid cornerbacks in Ward and Greedy Williams, both have struggled to stay on the field at times with Williams missing the entire 2020 season. While it pains me to go with a corner in round one because of all the previous picks used there, if Jaycee Horn is around, it could be a perfect fit.
Horn is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, and can be dominant in man-to-man or zone coverage. Not only that, Horn has the toughness to be a force in run support which will be a huge benefit in the NFL. There’s likely no more physical of a corner in the 2021 draft, which will bode well for the Browns in a division like the AFC North.
Patrick Surtain of Alabama appears to be the clear number one at corner, but Horn has also solidified his spot as the number two corner in the draft competing with Caleb Farley of Virginia Tech. Some like Ifeatu Melifonwu from Syracuse, but the physical traits of Horn and the speed of Farley put both well above Melifonwu.
Will Horn fall all the way to No. 26 for the Browns to have a shot at him? It seems like a bit of a long-shot, especially with there only being three or four corners in this draft that have first-round grades. If there’s an early run on corners, not only would the Browns miss out on Horn and Melifonwu, they could even miss on Tyson Campbell from Georgia who many have going in the second round.
The two teams to watch are the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys who will both likely be in the cornerback market. The Cardinals appear to be parting ways with Patrick Peterson and the Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in league history in 2020.
The real wild card could be the Denver Broncos, who could also have an interest at corner. However, with Von Miller being a free agent, the team could have a bigger need at defensive end which would be a huge benefit to the Cleveland Browns.
If one of those three teams don’t go corner, there is a chance the Browns could get their hands on Horn. While I’m not super excited about another corner in the first-round, Horn would be a huge win if that scenario were able to happen.