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Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown highlights first two days of draft

By Shawn Simmons

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 01: Derrick Brown #5 of the Auburn Tigers reacts to a play during the 2020 Outback Bowl against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Raymond James Stadium on January 01, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 01: Derrick Brown #5 of the Auburn Tigers reacts to a play during the 2020 Outback Bowl against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Raymond James Stadium on January 01, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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The Carolina Panthers filled one of many holes on defense Thursday night by selecting defensive tackle Derrick Brown seventh overall.

Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers were fully expected to go the defensive route in the first round. Despite the popular pick in Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons being available, the Panthers opted for Auburn’s 6’5,” 326-pound Derrick Brown to solidify the inside of their defensive line, which only returns one starter from last year.

During his four years at Auburn, Brown appeared in 46 games accumulating 170 tackles, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. He was selected as the 2019 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. Brown was widely considered to be the top defensive tackle in this year’s draft and should–along with the return of a healthy Kawann Short–immediately help shore up what was a 29th-ranked rush defense last season.

The draft continued Friday night with the Panthers selecting Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos with the 38th pick. The 6’5,” 264-pound edge rusher tallied 9.5 sacks as a junior in 2019 and finished his collegiate career with 19 sacks and 37 tackles for loss, despite being a starter for just two seasons. Gross-Matos was a first-team All-Big Ten selection each of the past two years. Carolina would later trade back into the second round and take Southern Illinois defensive back Jeremy Chinn with the 64th-overall pick.

Head coach Matt Rhule’s first draft will conclude on Saturday with rounds 4-7 resuming at noon-eastern time on ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network. The Panthers could be in the market for offensive line help or a linebacker on Day 3 and will have one pick in each of the remaining rounds. Barring any trades Carolina is currently slated to pick at numbers 113, 152, 184, and 221.

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