Panthers rookie watch: Derrick Brown powers up vs. Packers

It took him almost a full season, but first-round pick Derrick Brown finally got his first sack.

The Carolina Panthers lost again last night, this time on the road against the Green Bay Packers, 24-16. While it was another frustrating result, the team’s young defensive unit shined in the second half, offering promise of things to come, especially from a few first-year players.

Here is a review of how the rookies did this week.

DT Derrick Brown powered up

It took him almost a full season, but first-round pick Derrick Brown finally got his first sack. He split this one with Efe Obada.

Later, Brown had another all to himself.

This explosion as a pass rusher was inevitable. Brown has been moving the pocket all year thanks to his bull-rush. When pressure is consistent, sacks tend to follow eventually. He’s now up to 10 quarerback hits and eight tackles for a loss in 2020. Brown also avoided drawing a penalty again. He has come on very strong the last few weeks.

Jeremy Chinn continued DROY case

While he wasn’t as flashy as Brown, Chinn continued to build his case to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. No. 21 made several key stops early on that prevented the Packers from blowing the game wide open. The range and hustle he displayed on this tackle on Davante Adams were phenomenal.

Chinn finished with six tackles, pushing his total on the season over 100.

DE Yetur Gross-Matos was quiet

While the rest of the defensive line was on fire, it was a quiet night for Carolina’s other second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos, who posted only one tackle despite playing a season-high 84% of the team’s defensive snaps. He did show monster potential last week against the Broncos, though.

CB Troy Pride, DT Bravvion Roy injured

The rest of the 2020 class didn’t have such a great night. Aaron Rodgers went after Troy Pride early on, who cracked under the pressure. Pride wound up leaving the game with a groin injury and he did not return. Coach Matt Rhule did not offer any information on his condition afterwards.

The team’s sixth-round pick, defensive tackle Bravvion Roy also left at one point with a knee injury. He was able to return, though. Roy finished the evening with three combined tackles.

Two undrafted rookies picked up steam

Two of the team’s undrafted rookies are steadily making progress as they earn more playing time. DB/RB hybrid Myles Hartsfield is now a core special teams contributor – he was on the field for 71% of those snaps last night and posted three tackles. Also, RB Rodney Smith showed some wheels, totaling 23 yards on four rushes and 24 more on three receptions.

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