Derrick Brown
We’ve come to the tail end of this piece as we look at Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown. Brown was actually mocked to the Panthers by CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, a move that likely would not sit well with some Carolina faithful as Brown has become quite the divisive prospect during draft season.
Fitting with the theme of this article, Brown was an Unanimous All-American and was selected as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year. The interior lineman capped off his senior season with four sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 32 solo tackles.
Interior pass rush happens to be a position of need for the Panthers, as the current rotation lost Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe (both to the Cowboys). But concerns about Brown’s quality as a pass rusher has fans skeptical if he’s worth the seventh overall selection.
Granted, there are moments where Brown did manage to flash as a pass rusher, and we’ll look at a couple below.
Brown had one of his better games on the season against the National Champion LSU squad with one sack and two tackles for loss.
Brown’s sole sack came without even touching quarterback Joe Burrow, as he had all the help he needed from the left guard, inadvertent as it was.
With a quick enough get off and with enough power, Brown is able to force the left guard off him and run him right into Burrow, who loses his balance and goes down for the sack. It’s an odd, but effective use of power on the defensive tackle’s part.
Brown was also involved in a key moment against Florida, a game where he had a sack and two fumble recoveries.
Brown’s strip sack was the result of him getting leverage on this snap up the B-gap, and when he found he could not grasp the quarterback in his hands, he wisely approached the ball instead.
The strip sack happened in a blur, so much so that this almost looks like an interception on Brown’s part. The key on this rush was the instant burst off the line of scrimmage. This helps Brown develop enough energy to overwhelm the left guard and create outside leverage, or at least to the extent needed to get a hand on the ball.
The problem with Brown is that his flashes are fewer and farther between than Simmons or Okudah. For a prospect that needs refinement in order to improve his craft, that’s fine. But for a defense that’s picking in the top 10, Simmons and Okudah would be expected to provide more of an immediate impact.
Conclusion
If I had to choose, I’d take Jeffrey Okudah over Isaiah Simmons and Derrick Brown. I think Okudah will be a game changer for any team that selects him – and the Panthers are one such team that badly need his talents at a depth chart whose well is a little dry. If he’s not available, however, Simmons’ versatility should make him the guy the Panthers take – and if neither of them are available?
Well, they should probably trade down.
