Athleticism isn’t everything for pro prospects. It’s only one piece in a complicated puzzle that scouting departments use to evaluate college players and project how well they will perform at the next level. That said, it’s an important piece. While there are exceptions, plus athletes tend to do better in the NFL than those who have mediocre or poor athletic testing numbers.
The Carolina Panthers’ 2020 draft class has a bit of both.
There are several reasons why we’re not thrilled with the team’s selection of Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown at No. 7 overall. The biggest question about Brown is his lack of athleticism as his poor showing at the scouting combine gave legitimate cause for concern.
While he has excellent size for his position, Brown is only average when it comes to explosiveness and speed and has shown very poor agility. Overall, his relative athletic score was 5.89 out of 10.
With pick 7 in the 2020 NFL Draft, the #Panthers selected Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn.
He posted a good #RAS with elite size, okay speed, okay explosiveness, very poor agility at the DT position.https://t.co/q507A2vlAK#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/Idmur5lz0K
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 24, 2020
This doesn’t mean Brown is going to be a bust or that the pick was the worst possible choice that the Panthers could have made.
Brown was a relatively safe choice and there’s no question that his size and power will help make him a strong run defender. However, his lack of agility and speed will likely make it more far difficult for Brown to impact the game as a pass rusher. He isn’t the entire draft class, though.
We feel much better about the rest of the team’s picks, especially Jeremy Chinn at No. 64. Again, athleticism doesn’t guarantee he will make it in the NFL. However, Chinn certainly has all the physical tools he needs to do so.
According to the same model by Kent Lee Platte, Chinn had a perfect 10, with elite size, speed, explosiveness and agility scores among safeties.
With pick 64 in the 2020 NFL Draft, the #Panthers selected Jeremy Chinn, FS, Southern Illinois.
He posted an elite #RAS with elite size, elite speed, elite explosiveness, at the FS position.https://t.co/dF7ggmVrYo#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/3DpsYPdAld
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2020
In our humble opinion, Chinn was the best draft pick the team made this year. It may take some time for him to settle in, adjust to the speed of the pro game and find his best position. However, we expect him to develop into a special defender.
As for the rest of the class, Yetur Gross-Matos, Bravvion Roy and Kenny Robinson all didn’t do enough testing to qualify. Troy Pride Jr. scored an average 7.18 RAS, while seventh-round pick Stantley Thomas-Oliver scored a strong 8.26.
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