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BTB Community Mock Draft Pick #7, the Carolina Panthers Select...


The Blogging the Boys community mock draft continues with mpeters 10 picking for the Carolina Panthers.

With the 7th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select, Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn.

mpeters 10's Take:

The Panthers have a lot of needs and a high volume of free agents, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. While safety, linebacker, cornerback, quarterback, and left tackle could all be considered as needs for the Panthers, defensive tackle could be catastrophic next season if not addressed. Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe performed admirably at the position last season, but the Panthers face losing five defensive tackles in free agency from a defense which surrendered at least 29 points in each of its final seven games of 2019.

Tristan Wirfs was considered, but the Panthers have a rookie second round pick at LT from 2019 who spent most of last season on IR, so they're likely not giving up on him just yet. This pick really came down to Jeffrey Okudah and Derrick Brown. I'm of the opinion that defenses should be built from the front end to the back end, which was the deciding factor in selecting Derrick Brown from Auburn.

From Cat Scratch Reader:

Player Visits Begin as Panthers Size Up Players During the College All-Star Bowls

We begin our look with players the Panthers visited during various College Football All-Star games. Visits during the Shrine Game and Senior Bowl revealed that offense was overweighed in favor of the defensive side of the ball. Most telling was that Derrick Brown was not one of the players the Panthers visited during Senior Bowl week.

Panthers Bolster Defense in Kadar's Latest Mock

According to Dan Kadar's last mock draft, Derrick Brown is the selection to Jacksonville at 7th overall following a trade, but the Panthers picked fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw 9th overall.

Nothing But Praise for This Draft Steal

But this mock from January has Derrick Brown going to the Panthers and the Cat Scratch Reader author has nothing but praise for him. Also, Brown is the pick in Kadar's February 17th mock which was published two days before this post.

Draft History Shines Light on the History of the 7th Overall Pick

Now for some research that would make BTB front page writer and legend One Cool Customer proud. Staff Writer MickSmiley did some research to see how players performed relative to their draft position. The data is primarily a wash though players selected in the same range as the Dallas Cowboys 17th overall pick in this draft, generally outperform their peers in the 6 to 8th selection range.

From College and Magnolia:

Derrick Brown Named SEC Defensive Player of the Year

First off, Derrick Brown has been named the SEC Defensive player of the year and is one of three Auburn players on the SEC First team put out by the AP.

Defensive Snaps vs Texas A&M

This recap of the defense against Texas A&M proves that Derrick Brown is going to be a force to be reckoned in the NFL. According to the author, he managed to be a disruptive force despite the low numbers. That will change in the NFL as teams will not be able double or triple team players as successfully as in college. The fact that he is able to do damage despite being double teamed means that Brown should be in consideration for the 2nd overall pick.

Two Days to Kickoff

In the countdown to the 2019 season opener vs Oregon, Derrick Brown is profiled as he is the 2nd ranked recruit of all time. Number 1 was Byron Cowart, who was also Rivals.com's recruit in 2015. The latter is now a defensive end with the New England Patriots.

From The Draft Network:

Pros: Aligns at the 1 shade and the 3 technique for the Tiger defense. He is a very good reactive athlete for a man that size. He has schematic versatility and true positional flexibility to play in either a single gap scheme as the "shade" or the "3" or as a "0" or a "5 Tech" in an odd front. He displays excellent power in his hands and easily disengages with excellent toughness against the run. Holds the point of attack exceptionally well and is virtually unmovable with single blocks. When he plays with good pad level and leverage, Interior offensive linemen rarely get vertical movement on him in the run game. He is a 3 down player with very good pass rush ability in passing situation. He has excellent get off for a big man and quickly gets out of his stance and upfield. In the passing game, he is extremely disruptive and generates production typically with an excellent bull rush. Plays with good emotional endurance from snap to whistle. This is a player that must be accounted for upfront and opposing teams have tried to slide the protection to neutralize him

Cons: Because he is a taller defender, he needs to be more consistent at playing with good leverage on the interior. Has a few instances each game of not recognizing blocking schemes quickly enough. Can get consumed with rushing and lose sight of the football with misdirection. He sometimes relies on his power too much and his technique suffers as the game progresses. Needs to be more consistent at using his hands as a pass rusher. Could afford to develop a signature move when rushing.

From Walter Football:

Brown totaled 55 tackles with four sacks, four passes batted and two forced fumbles in 2019. He was an animal against Florida with a strip-sack, two fumble recoveries, lots of yardage on fumble returns, and ton of disruption in the backfield. After only playing one series against Kent State, Brown dominated against Texas A&M. He was a monster in the ground game and collected two sacks and a forced fumble as a pass-rusher. Brown came through with some phenomenal plays to help Auburn win the Iron Bowl and illustrated his freakish skill set. He racked up seven tackles and caused lots of disruption. Brown battled hard against Georgia and made some impressive plays versus the Bulldogs' all-star offensive line.

Up Next:

The Clapper has the Arizona Cardinals pick at 8th overall.

1st Round
---------
1. Cincinnati, Shaymer: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
2. Washington, Jeber: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
3. Detroit, Krotto07: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
4. NY Giants, Cody Snead: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson
5. Miami, PackofCowboys: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
6. LA Chargers, IrishP1: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
7. Carolina, mpeters 10: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
8. Arizona (2/20), The Clapper:
9. Jacksonville (2/21), Landon Crenshaw:
10. Cleveland (2/23), unparde_7:
11. NY Jets (2/24), ZVPlatinum:
12. Las Vegas (2/25), DakAttack4:
13. Indianapolis (2/26), TacoShopSherpa:
14. Tampa Bay (2/27), Mario Mario:
15. Denver (2/28), Scott Menze:
16. Atlanta (2/29), The Trenches:
17. Dallas (3/1), SoCalCowboy:
18. Miami, From Pittsburgh (3/2), PackofCowboys:
19. Las Vegas, From Chicago (3/3), DakAttack4:
20. Jacksonville, From LA Rams (3/4), Landon Crenshaw:
21. Philadelphia (3/5), DarKnightX:
22. Buffalo (3/6), Papa Hendu:
23. New England (3/7), FlyingButtPilers:
24. New Orleans (3/8), DalaiLuke:
25. Minnesota (3/9), dscottram:
26. Miami, From Houston (3/10), PackofCowboys:
27. Seattle (3/11), smoothtoaster:
28. Baltimore (3/12), Jeber:
29. Tennessee (3/13), staubachfan:
30. Green Bay (3/14), EmmanuelG:
31. San Francisco (3/15), poakie:
32. Kansas City (3/16), dsmith8605:

Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.