5 things to know about Derrick Brown, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft
Is Auburn’s Derrick Brown one of the best defensive tackle prospects to grace the field in this 2020 NFL Draft class?
With his versatility, Brown has the ability to play in multiple defenses that will enable him to dominate the line of scrimmage.
Thanks to Brown’s size and the way he maximizes the use of his light feet, the Auburn prospect has extraordinary power and can quickly overwhelm blockers, something that NFL teams are looking for.
Here are five things to know about Brown, who was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night:
1. He has a message for his doubters. Sure, he might be an All-American and SEC defensive player of the year, but Brown still has to deal with what every NFL prospect has to deal with during this quarantine draft class: those who are worried that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the scouting and interview process of the draftees. “I don’t see any difference,” Brown told CBS Sports. “I sit here and think that I put my best effort I could — Pro Day, combine, my tape shows for itself. I’m confident in my tape. I’ve been able to do what has been asked of me and I’ve done it at a different level.
2. Brown was a business major at Auburn and a member of the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council. He also served as president for the council in 2019-20. “We’re basically the student-athlete voice to the administration when it comes to what community service activities and events we want to do throughout the year,” Brown told AuburnTigers.com last year.
3. Brown didn’t start catching everyone’s eye until after his freshman year at Auburn. Even though he came out of Lanier High School in Georgia with a recorded 33.5 sacks and 270 total tackles, he didn’t make his impact known with the Tigers until the 2017 season. He recorded three sacks and 57 total tackles that year. In his career at Auburn, he had 12.5 sacks and 170 total tackles.
4. He won the Ronnie Lott Troy (known as the Lott award) for being the IMPACT (which stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity) player of the year. The award goes to the defensive player who the biggest impact on his teammates, coaches, community and peers.
5. His parents taught him the importance of sticking to a routine. His father James Brown served four years in the U.S. Army and for more years with the Nation Guard and it influenced Brown himself growing up. “When you think of military, you think of structure, and that’s how my dad lives his life,” Brown told SportingNews.com. “Day in and day out, he stuck with the same routine. He held us accountable, and he and my mom always wanted to know what was going on with school. That’s where it all started. He coached me so hard in the classroom that it translated over to the field.”