Last season, Jimmy Horn Jr. garnered a lot of attention for the Colorado Buffaloes as fellow wideout Travis Hunter was repeatedly double-teamed and locked down.
Horn had one of the most memorable touchdowns of the year against the North Dakota State Bisons in a nail-biting victory for the Buffs. Then, he went on to be a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, taking his talents to the Carolina Panthers.
Since the Draft, Horn has quickly earned the respect of his counterparts: the Panthers' defensive backs, who are currently struggling to shut down the rookie wide receiver.
Reports from the Panthers' first camp of the summer shared that Horn was reportedly earning first-team reps and had already begun building a solid relationship with Carolina quarterback Bryce Young.
Horn's focus for the remainder of the offseason? "Perfecting" his route running and ensuring that he has zero (yes, 0) drops during the upcoming season.
One NFL scout even shared that he believed Horn could have the same trajectory in the league as Tank Dell, who has earned 1,376 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns through the air since getting drafted in 2023.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is just TOO MUCH for DB’s to cover one-on-one.
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) July 31, 2025
Horn has reportedly been having his way with a “plethora” of Panther’s DB’s, including starters.
Horn reportedly plans on “perfecting” his route tree this season and finishing the year with ZERO drops.
Throughout… pic.twitter.com/msS6pGKSW5
Horn isn't projected to be the top wideout for the Panthers quite yet, joining a receiver room that is filled to the brim with talent such as fellow rookie Tetairoa McMillan, as well as Adam Thielen, Hunter Renfrow, and Xavier Legette.
Carolina is scheduled to start its preseason schedule on Friday, Aug. 8, with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns (yes, the very team that drafted former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders).
In the preseason game, fans shouldn't be surprised to see players like Horn and Sanders getting a lot of reps while teams continue to rest star players ahead of the actual season.