CHARLOTTE — Of all the receivers on the Panthers roster, Jimmy Horn Jr. is the smallest.
He doesn't play that way.
Even in an unpadded practice, the 5-foot-8, 174-pound Horn took a shot in Tuesday's practice and popped right back up.
He took a pass across the middle from Andy Dalton and collided in mid-air with safety Nick Scott.
Horn hit the deck, but bounced up immediately and signaled first down, with a little shimmy for good measure.
Not every receiver is eager to go across the middle of the field, but Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he doesn't hesitate to call Horn's number.
"Just constant energy, courage, it's his play-style," Canales replied when asked what stood out in such plays. "It showed up on film last year. He's a tough guy, and he's battling in the run game to block, to stay connected throughout the whole play, which was kind of a challenge for me to those guys. It's like, this matters. This is who we're going to be. We're a running team first and foremost. And so we need all of you to be involved in that. That's your contribution to what we're doing.
"And, he takes that seriously. He studies, he's here early, he's here late. He's working on stuff that he missed. He's asking questions. He's very curious by nature, so all the things that to me point toward being a pro."
Horn's got the kind of speed a smaller receiver has to have (4.46 40 at the combine), but his toughness will be the thing that allows him to thrive on a big-bodied team.
View some of today's best shots from the Panthers training camp.
