Carolina Panthers NFL draft scouting report: Auburn’s Derrick Brown is a Day 1 starter
On a team desperate for defensive reinforcements, Auburn tackle Derrick Brown looks like a quick and easy fit with the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers selected Brown 7th overall in Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft. The 6-5, 317-pound Brown fills an obvious gap on a Carolina team that let one-time Pro Bowl tackle Gerald McCoy leave for the Dallas Cowboys in free agency after one season.
New Panthers coach Matt Rhule is reshaping a locker room that lost a slew of veteran leadership, including tight end Greg Olsen, linebacker Luke Kuechly and quarterback Cam Newton. Brown, who has political aspirations, was president of Auburn’s student-athlete advisory committee.
Against the run
Thirty-two solo tackles his senior season doesn’t sound overwhelming. However, what that doesn’t show is his consistent ability to occupy two blockers versus SEC offensive lines. He is so powerful and broad that opponent running lanes close quickly, allowing linebackers to clean up the play for small gains. Kuechly, with such quick ability to diagnose a play, would have loved the way Brown ties up blockers, providing unobstructed tackling angles.
Against the pass
For such a huge guy, Brown is fairly nimble. He takes small, quick steps to change direction against guards and centers. Interior pass rush is more about getting pressure in quarterbacks’ faces than necessarily sacks. But Brown still totaled 8 1/2 sacks his last two college seasons. Maybe more indicative of his footwork and power, he totaled 22 tackles for loss in that span.
Can he be a Day 1 starter?
Sure. Defensive line is a unit of major need for the Panthers (as is pretty much the entire defense). A new coaching staff typically isn’t wedded to veterans. Brown used all four years of college eligibility, so he’s both physically and mentally mature. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t get a majority of the snaps this preseason to fast-track development.
Bottom Line
It would have been a head-scratcher if the Panthers took an offensive player with the 7th pick, considering their needs everywhere on the defense. Brown is a safe pick; you know exactly what position he will play, in contrast to a hybrid linebacker-defensive back like Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons. Barring injury, he has the makings of a 10-year NFL starter.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 10:23 PM.
