Panthers fans who are disappointed in the wake of another 5-11 season need only look to the youth for hope. Specifically, the rookie class of 2020 looks like it’s going to be a strong one.
In fact, two of Carolina’s top draft picks wound up making the Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team this year.
DT Derrick Brown
The Panthers picked Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown at No. 7 overall. Taking an interior lineman that high was a questionable move by former general manager Marty Hurney. That said, Brown has all the makings of another All-Pro. He and Raekwon Davis of the Dolphins were the two defensive tackles who made PFF’s team.
“Brown’s 34 pressures on the season are more than any other rookie in the league not named Chase Young. He added four batted passes to his pass-rushing stat sheet, as well. That should be the big takeaway from his rookie performance because the run defense should come along given how dominant he was in that phase of the game at Auburn.”
To be sure, there were some hiccups. Especially early in the season Brown was frequently making rookie mistakes. At one point, he even led the NFL in penalties. Brown settled in eventually though and didn’t have one the last several games. He also came on strong as a pass rusher down the stretch.
For the year, PFF gave Brown a 60.7 overall grade.
LB Jeremy Chinn
Picking Brown was somewhat of a surprise given the team’s desperate need to find a versatile playmaker for the middle of their defense. No matter. The Panthers still managed to fill that hole when they traded up to the end of the second round and selected Southern Illinois’ Jeremy Chinn.
While it took Brown and the other rookies to find their footing, Chinn hit the ground running in September and continued to make an impact throughout the season. He won Defensive Rookie of the Month twice and was named to PFF’s team in the flex spot.
Like Brown, he turned it on in the second half of the year.
“Chinn also produced most of his better games as a rookie toward the back half of the 2020 season. His overall grade jumped from 47.9 over the first five weeks of the season to 67.4 since Week 6. The expectation coming into the season was that Chinn would be a project — an FCS prospect with elite athletic tools who was still learning how to read and react on defense. That showed at times in his rookie year, but the Panthers will certainly take the kind of production they got from him in his first season.”
Indeed.
Similar to a former Carolina linebacker, Chinn demonstrated exceptional range, instincts and tackling (115) ability. 59 defended the pass well too, though and this was a sore point for Chinn’s game as a rookie. For the season, he allowed six touchdowns and a 115.7 passer rating in coverage.
Chase Young will win DROY, but Chinn gave him a run for his money and will only get better with time.
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