NFL Draft 2020: 13 Biggest Picks You NEED To Know
12. Defensive Tackle - Derrick Brown
Round 1: Pick 7
The Carolina Panthers play in the NFC South, which means that twice a year they have to take on Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, and now Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's now two MVP's, two Superbowl winners, and a combined 31 Probowl selections to try to slow down. However, with Brady and Brees past 40 and Ryan in his mid-30's, none of them are a threat to scramble and all will be looking to step up into the pocket to run their respective offenses.
Carolina's Matt Rhule addressed this with his very first pick as a head coach in the NFL. Derrick Brown out of Auburn was considered one of the top three players available in the 2020 draft and will be a perfect fit clogging up the middle against those future hall-of-fame QBs. With his size and strength, don't be surprised when he gets compared to the league's current #1 interior defensive lineman, Aaron Donald.
Not only did the Panthers let go of head coach Ron Rivera, defensive stars like Dontari Poe, Gerald McCoy, Vernon Butler, Bruce Irvin, and Luke Kuechly will no longer be with the team either. Because of this, Carolina became the first team in NFL draft history to use all seven picks on defensive players.
Out of all of them, Brown will face the most pressure and opportunity to step up into a leadership role as a rookie.