One of the names that has been most closely linked with the Panthers throughout the draft process is that of Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown, speculation that has been fueled by Marty Hurney looking at him like a long-lost son during last month’s Auburn Pro Day.
However, while lots of Panthers fans might be more than familiar with the name Derrick Brown, it’s worth spending some time to consider the player, how he might fit with the Panthers and whether he should seriously be being considered for the seventh overall pick. For more on my thoughts on the defensive tackle class in 2020, check out this week’s episode of The Great British Drafting Show:
So then, how much of an impact player is Derrick Brown?
The Power And The Glory
When you weigh over 325 pounds as a defensive tackle, there is an expectation that you are going to help stopping the run, and one of the things that really does stand out on tape is just how powerful Brown is. This impacts the game in two different ways against the run, depending on the situation. First, when single-blocked, it allows him to consistently get push into the backfield, disrupting running lanes and making it easier for those around him to make plays:
It also makes him a nightmare for offenses to try and move, even using double teams – his ability to anchor against a combo block also consumes offensive resources and makes it easier for the linebackers behind him to get to the ballcarrier:
However, there is more to like about his run defense than just power – he shows a surprising quickness and bend to work through gaps and generate interior penetration:
And he uses his hands well to stack blockers and release to make plays on ballcarriers as they pass him by:
At his best, Brown can do almost anything that a defensive lineman could be asked to do to impact the running game – he has a real chance of being one of the very best run defending tackles in the NFL. However, one of the frustrations with Brown on tape is his consistency, or rather lack thereof, and while he did make significant improvements in this regard during his senior season, there are still too many times where he lets himself down from a technical point of view and minimizes the impact of his immense talent.
The most common way this happens is that rather than bending with his knees to lower his pad level, he leans into blocks, and when he doesn’t get this right, he can find his greater power being of little benefit:
This also sometimes has the opposite effect, as with all his momentum going forward, if he doesn’t make early contact as he expects, he can find himself falling flat on his face:
He also needs to be more consistent with his hand usage – there are too many times on tape where he doesn’t get his hands up quickly enough, the offensive linemen gets inside placement, and while he is still able to push, his impact is massively reduced:
It would be unfair to say that Brown is not a good run defender, because he is – the issue is that he fluctuates between exceptional and fine, and would probably do well to take fewer risks in terms of pad level while focusing on getting consistent hand placement early. This would likely reduce the number of plays where he drives the guard back into the running back, but would also go a long way to eliminating the players where he really doesn’t add the value a player of his talent should.
The concern with taking a player like Brown as early as the Panthers might in the draft is that it is hard for a player to justify that investment based purely on run defense. There will be offensive schemes that are able to mitigate his impact schematically, albeit by making themselves more vulnerable to good linebacker play:
So then, for Brown to really be seen as a top-10 pick in any draft, he needs to be able to impact the pass as well as the run, so how does he get on in that regard?
Up Next: Oh, That Pass Rush
