Watch list season has begun, and with it comes high praise for Auburn's top defensive player.

Derrick Brown has been named to the 2019 Bednarik Award watch list, announced by the Maxwell Football Club on Monday afternoon.

The award — voted on by head college football coaches, the Maxwell Football Club and select sports journalists — is presented annually to the top defensive player in college football. Kentucky buck linebacker Josh Allen took home the accolade last season.

A rising senior who will anchor the middle of Auburn's stout defensive line, Brown elected to return for his final season after he was projected as a first-round pick in the 2019 draft. He'll likely be named preseason first team All-SEC, and the 6-foot-5, 318-pound defensive tackle has already seen his name on multiple preseason All-America lists.

Teams began consistently double-teaming the Georgia native early in his career, but his ability to still disrupt offensive lines led to him becoming one of the top defensive linemen in the conference.

Brown boasts 8.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Auburn. Another productive year would likely make him a top-10 pick.

Brown, along with defensive end Marlon Davidson and left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho Jr., will represent Auburn on Thursday at the 2019 SEC Media Days in Hoover.