Derrick Brown is probably going to be an excellent defensive tackle in the NFL. He’s explosive, powerful and has succeeded against the best competition college football has to offer.
Through no fault of his own, Brown’s career will probably always be linked to that of Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, who was picked by the Cardinals one spot after the Panthers took Brown. Simmons was the most popular prospect for Panthers fans this offseason and he was easily the best athlete in this draft class, in addition to the most versatile. Passing on a prospect like that is the kind of move that can haunt a team for years.
So, why did they pick Brown over Simmons?
According to general manager Marty Hurney, they had Simmons rated high, but he told reporters last night that “it starts up front.”
Marty Hurney says he didn't think Derrick Brown would be available at 7. Says they had Simmons rated high as well, but believes "it starts up front," and Brown will help KK Short, Brian Burns, et al.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) April 24, 2020
Obviously, Hurney’s decision can’t be distilled down to one soundbite and the whole process is far more complicated than that quote suggests.
That said, it’s definitely an old-fashioned way of thinking. Building from the inside out sounds good in theory, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of a chance to draft a special kind of playmaker with the ability to line up at half a dozen different positions.
Former general manager Dave Gettleman also believed in starting in the trenches and that’s part of the reason he picked Vernon Butler in the first round back in 2016.
While Brown’s athletic testing is concerning, he does look like a far more promising, disruptive player than Butler. However, if he doesn’t pan out it will give more ammunition for the crowd who believes you build winning programs by getting the best players available, not by following a rigid philosophy or system that leads to picking inferior athletes.
In this era, picking a defensive tackle in the top 10 means you’re expecting a Week 1 impact defender who can both stop the run and get consistent interior pressure on the quarterback.
So, the key factor in deciding whether Brown was worth a top-10 pick or not is if he develops into a legitimate pass-rushing threat at the next level. We know Brown is a great run stopper. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted 35 tackles for a loss or no gain against the run since 2017, more than any other DT in college football. His production as a pass rusher was far less impressive, though. Brown’s career high for sacks in a single season at Auburn was just 4.5.
If Brown is going to live up to the pick, he needs to become as disruptive as All-Pro interior linemen like Fletcher Cox or Geno Atkins. If not, some Panthers fans might never stop wondering what might have been with Simmons.
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