The rookie cornerback will take advantage of the NFL’s new number rules — which allow him to wear any number 1-49 — choosing to become one of the first modern NFL defenders to wear a single-digit jersey.
As he announced on Twitter, Horn will wear the No. 8 jersey during his rookie season. It appears that decision will not only be a nod to his draft selection, but also pay tribute to the late, great Kobe Bryant.
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Bryant wore the No. 8 jersey for the first 10 years of his career before switching to his high school number, 24, ahead of the 2006-07 NBA season. Under the old NFL uniform rules — which dictated cornerbacks can only wear jerseys numbered 20 through 49 — Horn would only have been able to wear No. 24.
While that number was available, Horn opted for originality in rocking the single-digit look. That’s what he did during his college days, donning the No. 1 jersey for South Carolina; wearing that number for the Panthers probably wouldn’t be an option, considering that Cam Newton wore it there for a decade.
Regardless of the number he wears, Horn — who had two interceptions in his final season with the Gamecocks — will be expected to help replace James Bradberry, who departed last offseason. Horn, as the first defensive player selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, should have a chance to do just that.
