Panthers’ Jaycee Horn Will Wear Number 8 to Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant

Jaycee Horn will be excited to get started with the new season. The former South Carolina cornerback went to the Carolina Panthers in the NFL Draft as the 8th overall pick. Horn is going into a Panthers team that has a lot of potential.

Christian McCaffrey is still one of the top players in the NFL. And recruit Sam Darnold will try to live up to the high expectations people have of him. But his jersey number will pay tribute to one of basketball’s all-time greats.

READ MORE: Carolina Panthers GM Wants Sam Darnold to Forget New York Nightmare

Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn took to Twitter to reveal his new jersey number with the franchise. Horn put up a doctored image of him in a Carolina Panthers jersey with the #8.

He captioned the image as “New beginning”, with a hashtag that read RIP Kobe. Clearly, his jersey selection was an attempt to pay tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed away last year.

Jaycee Horn pays tribute to Kobe

Kobe Bryant was one of the best players in the NBA during his time. In the first 10 years of his career, Bryant wore the ‘8’ jersey and became synonymous with the number.

During the first 10 years of his career, Kobe wore the same number until he switched to 24 in the second half of his career. But both numbers are held in equally high regard. The Lakers retired both his numbers and those jerseys hang from the rafters of the Staples Center in LA.

Horn is making a kind gesture to show his appreciation for Kobe Bryant. Carolina Panthers fans will hope that Horn can emulate Kobe’s success for their team. And as of now, he is being given a great opportunity to do exactly that.

Horn will be trusted in helping the team and marshaling the defensive unit. In years past, the defensive unit for the Carolina Panthers has been a weak point, which does hold them back in their pursuit of post-season chances and success.

READ MORE: ‘I Just Believe in Sam’- Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule on Why Franchise Opted Not to Draft a QB

Can Jaycee Horn be a success in Carolina? He will have his work cut out for him. However, given his status as one of the premier cornerbacks in the draft, he will get opportunities immediately.