Chargers select CB Jaycee Horn in SB Nation Community Mock Draft

Like we do every single draft season, we at SB Nation have gotten together for our Community Mock Draft where one analyst from each of the 32 NFL team sites takes their turn making the pick for their respective franchise in a first-round mock setting.

Before we get into the Chargers’ pick at No. 13, here’s how the board fell through the first 12 picks:

1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
2. QB Zach Wilson, Jets
3. QB Justin Fields, 49ers
4. QB Trey Lance, Falcons
5. WR Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals
6. TE Kyle Pitts, Dolphins
7. OT Penei Sewell, Lions
8. OT Rashawn Slater, Panthers
9. LB Micah Parsons, Broncos
10. CB Patrick Surtain II, Cowboys
11. WR Jaylen Waddle, Giants
12. WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles

So, with the 13th-overall pick in 2021 SB Nation NFL Community Mock Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers select...

CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

When the Chargers decided to move on from veteran cornerback Casey Hayward, that was their way of announcing to everyone that they need to get younger at the position. That idea was also supported when the team decided to re-sign 26-year old Michael Davis.

With the top two offensive tackles off the board, the Chargers decide to add the draft’s best cornerback instead in South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. At his recent pro day, Horn put together one of the best testing performances for a corner in recent memory. At 6’0 and 205 pounds, the former Gamecock ran a 4.39 in the 40, jumped 41.5 inches in the vertical, and cleared 11 feet in the broad. Combine that elite athleticism with his tenacity and swagger out on the perimeter and you’ve got yourself a picture-perfect cornerback for today’s NFL.

Both Davis and Horn can also continue learning from veteran Chris Harris Jr., a guy who knows a thing or two about taking the ball away from the opponent and frustrating opposing pass-catchers.