Jimmy Horn Jr., WR, Colorado
Size:
Height: 5081
Weight: 174
Arm: 30 ⅜”
Hand: 8 ¾”
Accomplishments:
First-Team All-AAC kick returner (2022) • Three-star recruit
“Jimmy Horn Jr. is an impactful slot weapon that uses sudden breaks, speed, and manipulation to go to work on opposing defenses.”
Strengths:
Quick twitch
Route tree
Deceleration
Ball tracking
Stem manipulation
Concerns:
Physicality
Frame
Drops
Mental lapses
Film Analysis:
Jimmy Horn Jr. transferred to Colorado for the 2023 season after showcasing his multi-functional abilities at South Florida. He was second on the team in receiving last year with 567 yards (career best) with 58 receptions and six touchdowns, which led the team. Horn plays mainly from the slot and uses his quickness and speed to get open in an offense built by Sean Lewis to get the ball out quickly.
Horn has a varied release package, but it’s rarely seen due to his slot usage and playing against off-coverage. In place of releases, Horn uses speed dilation in his route stem to lull defenders into giving up small tells in their game, which allows him to find space, use quick breaks to create space, or find a better way to manipulate the defender. At the top of his routes, Horn does a great job reading defender leverage and using his body language to sell vertical and cleanly break into space. He boasts a large route tree that gets him into every area of the field, where he does a great job of decelerating at the top of routes, adjusting to ball placement, and attempting to make difficult catches. Ball tracking over his shoulder and downfield is aided by ideal hand timing and flashing them to the football.
His frame stands out immediately when he’s on the field. When defenders jam him or push him through the route stem, he’s easily bumped off his route path and the timing is thrown off. Though he can adjust his body well to throws, he dropped nine balls last season, which was third in the NCAA. With them being mostly concentration drops, the mental lapses throughout a game go hand in hand. Horn runs half-speed routes, is late on second-reaction plays, is late to find space when a play breaks down, and will run into coverage.
Horn is a talented slot receiver who can generate quick separation, sink his hips, decelerate, and get yards after the catch. There’s less to teach Horn at the next level regarding routes because of the varied tree he already runs. Scheming him up and away from physicality will afford him more opportunities to impact the game when he’s mentally engaged.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Daniel Harms
Exposures: UCLA (2023), USC (2023), Arizona (2023), TCU (2023)
