
This year’s draft class has some star defensive players, but Derrick Brown stands alone as the top interior defensive lineman in the class.
Brown’s ability to impact the game on a snap-by-snap basis is impressive, but he’s also just a really good kid who has a diverse way of creating pressure and obviously an innate ability to read and react to plays.
This past season for Auburn, Brown solidified why many felt he would have been a first-round pick had he come out of Auburn a year sooner.
He’s well built, quick off the ball, he plays with great leverage, and he has tremendous length as an interior defensive lineman. I also think he’s scheme versatile and could line up anywhere in a three-man front or anywhere inside in a four-man front.
Brown is a tremendous athlete and would give the Panthers an enforcer in the middle of their defense who could impact the game from the inside out.
He’s a blue-chip prospect and if he’s there at pick number seven overall, they’d be hard-pressed to pass on him.