Carolina Panthers select Auburn DL Derrick Brown in Round 1 of 2020 NFL Draft
By Adam Spencer
Published:
When it comes to 2020 NFL Draft prospects, no one is as pro-ready as Auburn DL Derrick Brown.
Brown has been a dominant fixture on the Tigers’ defensive line for the past 3 years. During his 4-year Auburn career, he amassed 170 total tackles (33 for a loss), 12.5 sacks, 8 pass breakups, 5 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.
Now, he’s taking his talents to Sundays. On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers selected Brown with the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the draft.
Brown is a beast in the middle of the defensive line, frequently beating double teams. He’s a run-stuffer first, but he can also make plays like this as a pass rusher:
Derrick Brown appreciation tweet.
Despite going up against a double team, the senior got to Kellen Mond in three seconds. Keep in mind his status was questionable after missing 2nd half of the previous game due to an “upper-body contusion.” pic.twitter.com/YgxinidHIu
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) March 29, 2020
Brown isn’t the only Auburn defender who will hear his name called during this draft. Fellow DL Marlon Davidson could be a late first-round pick, while guys like Noah Igbinoghene, Nick Coe, Daniel Thomas and Jeremiah Dinson could also come off the board over the next couple of days.
At 6-5 and 326 pounds, Brown will clog up the interior for years to come at the NFL level. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein compared Brown to former standout Kris Jenkins. Can he live up to that comp? We’ll find out starting this fall, assuming the NFL season gets started on time.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
