CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Panthers have selected Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Brown fills an immediate need for the Panthers after the team lost multiple starting defensive linemen this offseason, including defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Vernon Butler and defensive ends Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin.
The Panthers have selected a defensive tackle in the first round twice before _ Vernon Butler in 2016 and Star Lotulelei in 2013. Both players are now with the Bills.
Brown is the sixth player from Auburn that Carolina has drafted and the second Tiger they've taken in the first round (Cam Newton, 2011). He is the first defensive tackle and third defensive player from Auburn overall to be selected in the top 10 in the common draft era (Carlos Rodgers, No. 9 in 2005, and Aundray Bruce, No. 1 in 1988).
The 22-year-old Brown could have come out of college last year and been selected early in the 2019 draft, but elected to remain in school another year so he could graduate, which he accomplished in December. At 6-foot-4, 326 pounds, the unanimous All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year had 55 tackles, four sacks, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in his senior year.
He is an explosive player and set Auburn's record with a 590-pound squat and had 24 bench-press reps at the combine. Brown often lined up as a 5-technique with the Tigers, but he will fit however the Panthers want to use him. Disruptive is the word most commonly associated with him. His college production wasn't anything flashy and he's not expected to be a high-sack producer in the NFL, even if he is creating significant pressure. His overall combine numbers were less-than-desired, especially his three-cone drill (8.22 seconds) and short shuttle (4.79 seconds).
