2020 NFL Draft: Los Angeles Chargers top five first-round targets
3. Derrick Brown, Defensive Lineman, Auburn University
An elite interior defender is on the list of needs for the Los Angeles Chargers as their best current interior defensive lineman at the moment is either Justin Jones or Brandon Mebane. Neither of those options inspires all that much confidence and the depth chart doesn’t get any better looking further down you go.
Sure, they have Jerry Tillery, a first-round selection in last year’s draft, but he was not much of a difference-maker in 2019. In 2019, Tillery accrued eight solo tackles, six assists, and three sacks, but his Pro Football Focus grade was a measly 34.0. Expecting him to make such a big jump from what he was last year to leading a defensive line is a stretch.
Brown is an interior wrecking ball who destroys his opponents with power, using his massive build to the best of his advantage. Brown constantly bullies the offensive lineman in front of him, causing havoc by getting into the backfield and blowing up both rushing and passing plays.
Right now the Chargers have an excellent pair of defensive ends in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. What they need is an interior defender who is on or close to their level so that the middle of the defense up front is not such a noticeable weakness.
The Chargers were a middle of the pack run defense in just about every metric out there in 2019. Adding Brown should vault them to one of the better run defenses in the league while also upping the amount of pressure they can put on the opposing quarterback as Brown is good at rushing the passer as well.
PFF ranks Brown as the best interior lineman in the 2020 draft, and have him at 11th overall on their big board. Many other outlets have him as a sure-fire top-ten value and some even value him as a fringe top-five value.
According to Micheal Renner, a draft analyst for PFF, “He’s one of the strongest defensive tackle prospects I’ve ever scouted in my six years of doing this. His upper body strength is on another level from anyone else in this class — the term “ragdolling” was created specifically for him.” Quite the compliment for the interior lineman.
Adding Brown to the defensive line would give the Los Angeles Chargers a defensive front without an obvious weakness. With Bosa and Ingram manning the edge and Brown patrolling the interior, teams would have a tough time running the ball or giving their quarterback much time to throw on pass plays.