2021 NFL Mock Draft: Philadelphia Eagles Select CB Jaycee Horn at No. 12

With the 12th pick of the 2021 DBN Community NFL Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...

Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

The selection and write-up were made by Big Cosmic News:

The Eagles have fallen far in a short time, and it’s time to do what they’ve been doing: make trades to accumulate draft capital. They can use help everywhere, as several of their position groups are an unfortunate combination of aging and unproven players. However, I think there is more young talent on offense than defense.

The Eagles probably understand that their roster is in poor shape and that it will take a couple of years to infuse it with talent, but they do want to see what they have in Jalen Hurts. I believe that’s why they traded down instead of trying to get a higher pick in a QB loaded draft. They will spend this year evaluating Hurts, with the (likely, in my opinion) option to bail on Hurts quickly and use their acquired picks to maneuver and get the right QB later, whether in next year’s draft or on the trade market. So, do you try to give Hurts as much help as you can in order to see what you have, or do you pick a cornerstone on defense, and see if Hurts can make plays with some decent weapons and the decent line that he already has? If Smith had been here, I might have done the former, but I’m not as high on Waddle, so I chose to do the latter.

Horn would be a different style of corner for the Eagles, with his preference for playing press man, but the Eagles have a new DC and have always preferred length in their DBs. Horn tested off the charts and plays the game with great competitiveness. An athletic alpha type player could be just the sort of player to build a defense around this year. And if Hurts is really something, Horn and Darius Slay would form an excellent Corner tandem for a surprisingly competitive team.

Pokorny: “The Eagles could also use a wide receiver, but with the Giants just taking Smith, Philadelphia could either support Jalen Hurts with another receiver like Jaylen Waddle, or aim for the second-best cornerback in this year’s draft class. The Eagles have some more long-term roster building to do, so a receiver isn’t necessarily a priority for the first round, and I like them building a strength at the cornerback position.”

The Los Angeles Chargers are up next, led by Danielgarrett.