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Panthers rookie Jaycee Horn isn’t too impressed about his big day at training camp

Carolina Panthers Jaycee Horn, left, grabs Robby Anderson during a drill at day 5 of the Carolina Panthers training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., on Monday, August 2, 2021.

Panthers rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn knows how the NFL works.

His dad, Joe Horn, a four-time Pro Bowler, spent 11 years in the league. So when Horn has a good day in training camp, which he did Monday, he knows it’s time to move onto the next practice.

Horn had two interceptions Monday — one against Sam Darnold on a tipped pass, and another against P.J. Walker on a badly overthrown pass.

“It felt good, but ‘what’s next?’ is kind of the mentality we try to bring,” Horn, a former South Carolina Gameock, said. “I was just ready for the next play.”

It was Horn’s best practice through the first five days of practice, and his third interception of training camp.

Though the pads won’t go on until Tuesday, it’s a good sign for the rookie cornerback as he tries to learn the defense and get adjusted to the speed in the NFL.

While forcing those turnovers were big for Horn, there still are some things he must work on. Some wide receivers have gotten the best of him in one-on-one drills, and he’s also committed penalties.

“Jaycee is grabbing and holding too much,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Monday. “A lot of those calls are going to get called back. I love Jaycee’s tenacity, but he’s got to master his craft along the way and he knows that.

“Jaycee is a young player. He’s going to get better and better.”

During 11-on-11 drills, Horn was guarding DJ Moore, who was running a deep route. Horn was seen holding Moore as Sam Darnold threw an interception to safety Sean Chandler.

Horn was known at South Carolina for being a physical, shutdown corner.

“I definitely need to work on it,” Horn said of the defensive holding. “I definitely need to keep my hands out of there, but also still bring the physical mindset and physical attitude to the game.”

The Panthers took Horn No. 8 overall in the 2021 NFL draft. He was the first defensive player taken off the board, after three quarterbacks, two wide receivers, a tight end and an offensive lineman were taken with the first seven picks.

Players picked within the first 10 picks are normally expected to be immediate contributors, and that’s what Horn will have to be in Year 1. Horn will likely have to start Week 1 opposite of fourth-year cornerback Donte Jackson with A.J. Bouye missing the first two games because of a suspension.

“He’s really strong, he’s really physical, he can run, he can really do everything out there,” Jackson said. “His first training camp, so he’s getting into it. I have to calm him down a little bit and let him know all the quarterbacks are good. He gets up on himself when a pass gets caught ... He’s learning. He’s going to be exceptional.”

Horn’s two picks were two of four turnovers the Panthers’ defense forced on the day. He’s not putting too much stock into one good practice.

“This is the NFL,” Horn said. “It’s going to be days you get beat, it’s going to be days you make plays, you’ve just got to stay on one level and try to get better every day and that’s kind of the mindset I’m trying to have.”