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Thursday night’s selection by the Carolina Panthers was not a surprise. The tea leaves were there. Not only was Derrick Brown’s name linked to the team early and often throughout the pre-draft process, but the team also ached sorely for any type of help for their scant defensive line.
After all, coming into the draft their projected starter at defensive tackle next to Kawann Short was Woodrow Hamilton.
That’s not to say picking Brown was the best choice, or the one that made the most sense. Along with the hiring of head coach Matt Rhule came the incorporation of a supposedly new, progressive way of thinking about football. Specifically, this new era was to usher in an emphasis on athleticism in the rebuild of the roster.
Rhule, most notably during his time at Temple University, placed a premium on players who were high-level athletes. Since the program at that time wasn’t held in the highest regard, landing coveted five-star recruits wasn’t easy. Instead, Rhule sought out prospects with particular abilities he felt could place shine upon. He wanted guys who exhibited the eye-opening speed, size and explosiveness that translates to all levels of the sport.
That approach to team-building, one he also carried over into his tenure at Baylor, would be one he and owner David Tepper highlighted when he was first hired.
And yet, with a chance to land the freakiest of freaks in Clemson’s do-it-all defensive prospect Isaiah Simmons with the seventh overall pick, they opted for Brown, who turned in one of the combine’s most disappointing displays of athletic testing in recent memory.
According to MockDraftable.com, Brown’s 40-yard dash (5.16 seconds), placed him in the 16th percentile of all defensive linemen in their expansive database. His vertical jump (27 inches) has him in the 12th percentile, his 20-yard shuttle (4.79 seconds) in the 10th and his 3-cone drill (8.22 seconds) in the first. Yeah, the first percentile.
Simmons, on the other hand, lit Indianapolis up for a 40-yard dash of 4.39 seconds (99th percentile for linebackers), a 132-inch broad jump (98th) and a vertical of 39 inches (91st).
Now, athleticism isn’t the be-all and end-all of determining a player’s future success in the NFL. There have been plenty of cases where elite athletes didn’t pan out as great players and poor athletes go on to have strong careers. However, with an opportunity to fetch the type of versatile talent this franchise says it wants to build its rock upon, they took a one-dimensional hog molly.
In addition to his athletic testing, Brown’s tape and production (12.5 sacks in four years) isn’t all that encouraging for his hopes of developing a consistently effective pass-rushing presence. He needs more than a bullrush in the arsenal and leaves much to be desired in terms of his technique, handwork and footwork.
The stature and strength is there, just not the game-wrecking talent you’d expect from a top-10 pick. They’re not getting a monster in the mold of Aaron Donald or Fletcher Cox—the type of interior defenders who are worth this high of an investment.
At the very least, Brown will help plug up what was a historically porous run defense. The Panthers allowed 143.5 rushing yards per game (29th in the NFL) as well as the most yards per carry (5.2) and rushing touchdowns (31) in 2019.
So, again, addressing that weakness was not a surprise. He’s a solid prospect and by all accounts a fine person to help establish that hard-working culture that Matt Rhule wants.
Brown will be fine.
What won’t be fine is that this three-headed monster consisting of Rhule, Tepper and general manager Marty Hurney continue to send mixed signals about what they’re doing.
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