Derrick Brown is officially an NFL player.

The former standout Auburn defender was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and on Friday signed his rookie contract given to him by the Carolina Panthers.

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was the first to report the news as well as the details of Brown’s deal: 4-years fully guaranteed and $23.621 million.

Not bad for his first professional contract.

Following Brown’s selection, first-year Carolina coach Matt Rhule offered up this assessment of his new defensive lineman.

“One of the great things about him though is we knew how serious he was about this. There’s story after story. Coaches talk about he’s one of the greatest practice players they’ve ever seen,” Rhule said via the team’s official website. “He’s a consensus top-10 pick. He goes to play in the bowl game — the Citrus Bowl, it’s not the playoffs. He’s playing against the University of Minnesota.

“He plays every snap except for maybe a couple as his normal rotation. And there’s a goal-line stand where he is playing as hard as he can, and to me that’s what we need right now in this time. We need guys that are dedicated.”

During his four years at Auburn, Brown racked up 170 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 33 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.