TOP 20: Derrick Brown
A few years ago after Rodney Garner successfully signed Derrick Brown out of a Georgia high school, Auburn's defensive line coach said he saw something special in the kid from Lanier High School.
Speed and size? Brown had both. And he had a body that was growing in a way that gave him the look of a future NFL player. The massive chest. The strong lower half. He was judged by Rivals to be a five-star prospect and, well, everything he did on a football field justified that ranking.
Still, Garner was more enthused about Brown's maturity and his ability to lead a position group. He was more than a dominating football player. Brown craved football knowledge, understood what other positions were supposed to do during a given play, learned how to inspire and invigorate players with personalities different than his.
"You don't come across players like that very often anymore," Garner said during the spring of 2017. "When you find one, you do everything you can to get him."
Brown has become the Tigers' best defensive tackle since Nick Fairley. After a so-so freshman season that unfolded along the Auburn periphery, Brown moved into the starting lineup last fall and became an overwhelming player at times. He paid much closer attention to pad level, keeping his shoulders closer to the ground, and that made things nearly impossible for blockers charged with relocating a 325-pound man. Brown finished the season with 57 tackles including 9.5 for loss — the most tackles for loss by an Auburn defensive tackle since Fairley.
I've theorized many times that players with serious or stern personalities tend to make the most of their athletic potential. Though Brown is an friendly young man, he has exquisite control of his emotions and never takes criticism personally. He stays on task when it comes to football. Those habits helped catapult him from rotation player to preseason All-SEC performer in less than two years. Considering his five-star pedigree, Brown's rise to relevance surely was expected. Byron Cowart showed, however, that no prospect is a sure thing and that potential in and of itself is worthless.
Potential must become performance. Talent must become skill.
Brown has done both — and now has a chance to become the next great Auburn defensive lineman. If past is prologue, this season will be special along the defensive front. Brown should be a big part of the scene.
ON THE UP SIDE: Motor, hand violence, two-gap defender, leadership
ON THE DOWN SIDE: Pass rush
VOTING RESULTS: No. 2 (Bryan Matthews), No. 3 (Jay G. Tate, Jeffrey Lee, The Bunker)
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: No. 8 in 2017
THE AUBURNSPORTS.COM TOP 20 FOR 2018:
3. Derrick Brown