Brown goes No. 7 overall
AUBURN | The wait was short and had to be pretty sweet for Derrick Brown.
The former Auburn defensive tackle was selected in the first round by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Brown is the first Auburn player taken in the first round since 2014 and the 15th top 10 draft pick in school history.
“The thing that jumped out to me is I thought he played with tremendous effort in every game that I watched,” NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “I saw him pursuing plays all the way across the field. He can really reset the line of scrimmage with his power.
“I was fascinated to see what Matt Rhule would do with this decision, his first pick., Would he go with Isaiah Simmons to get some speed and athleticism in the second level? He decided to go with a defensive lineman who can generate some of that interior pocket push inside a division where you go up against Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. Fascinating choice. I love Derrick Brown.”
Brown is the third first-round NFL pick in seven seasons under Gus Malzahn and the 27th draft pick overall.
“He went back for his senior year to get better technically,” said ESPN’s Mel Kiper. “You look at Isaiah Simmons, outside linebacker Clemson, was probably tempting. But Derrick Brown consistent production gave him the edge over Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina, as the first defensive tackle off the board.”
A 2019 team captain, Brown finished his four-year Auburn career with 170 tackles, 33.5 tackles-for-loss, 13.0 sacks, eight pass defenses, five forced fumbles and one blocked kick. He was the 2019 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the first unanimous All-American at Auburn since 1990.
Brown was a finalist for the Outland, Nagurski and Bednarik Awards, and won both the Lott IMPACT Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player in character and performance and the Senior CLASS Award as the most outstanding student-athlete in D-I football.
Brown earned a business degree from Auburn in December.
The 2020 NFL Draft continues with rounds 2 and 3 Friday at 6 p.m. CT and concludes Saturday at 11 a.m. with rounds 4-7.