Travis Hunter knows that entering the NFL with high expectations is only half the journey. The other half is looking around and realizing that some of those now competing against you for the same prize were recently by your side, sharing a locker room, practices, and trust. Jimmy Horn Jr., his former teammate at Colorado, is not only in the league, he is making noise, and fast.
Horn landed with the Carolina Panthers as a late-round pick, but his impact has been anything but quiet. With quick movements, crisp routes, and a kind of energythat is hard to ignore, coaches inCarolina already believe he has that “something” you cannot teach. They compare him to DeSean Jackson and Tank Dell. And while he is small in stature, the way he plays makes him a giant on the field. Reports describe him as the most electric player on the team.
It is no coincidence that many have started wondering if his emergence could shake up what once looked like a one-sided race for Rookie of the Year. Because it is one thing to stand out, and another to do it with your own style. And in these days when everyone is watching the big names, Horn is making people pause and look his way. There is something in the way he moves that cannot be taught, only noticed.
Not everyone arrives the same way.
While Travis Hunter shined from the beginning, Horn had to wait. At Colorado, he played behind a star like Hunter, and still found a way to stand out. Quietly, through hard work, he piled up more than one thousand yards in two seasons and made it clear he did not need the spotlight to make an impact. His thing was getting noticed when no one seemed to be watching.
Today both are in the NFL. One carries the weight of being a favorite, the other has the freedom of someone with nothing to lose. But if stories like this teach us anything, it is that races for individual awards are not always decided by past fame, but by the right moment. And Jimmy Horn Jr. seems to be stepping into his.
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