Carolina Panthers 2020 7-round mock draft: Building around McCaffrey

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.