2020 NFL Draft: Three-round mock draft with player and pick trades

In 2011 when Ron Rivera took over the Panthers, their rebuilding process began with a superstar from Auburn named Cam Newton.

Nearly a decade later, Matt Rhule’s reign as head coach of the Panthers could begin with Derrick Brown — another star player from Auburn — as the foundation piece of their rebuild.

Brown is everything you look for in an interior defensive lineman.

He plays all three downs, he has ideal size, he plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he is extremely athletic for his size.

Brown’s strength is already enough for offensive linemen to have to deal with, but his quickness off the ball in combination with that strength makes him a terror for opposing offensive linemen. Over the last three years at Auburn, Brown was consistently racking up double-digit tackle for loss numbers and affecting both the pass and the run with his ability to penetrate and cause problems from a number of positions.

With all of the changes the Panthers have gone through on the defensive line this offseason, Brown would be a tremendous fit in the first.