Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Draft Prospect | DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
Height: 6-foot 5
Weight: 318 lbs
Grade: Senior
School: Auburn
Derrick Brown has, at times, looked like a man among boys.
Brown, a native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, was considered a top prospect when he was coming out of high school. Brown ultimately committed to Auburn after attending several of their games and developing a strong relationship with defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
Brown began playing right away, appearing in all 13 games his freshman year, though he would truly make his mark in his sophomore season, with 9.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks. Those numbers only went up in his junior year.
He decided to stay in school for his senior year to finish his degree while also welcoming a new son. His decision to remain in school proved to be the right one, as he would have the best season of his career, with 11.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
A gifted run defender, Brown, per Pro Football Focus' 2020 NFL Draft Guide, had the fifth-highest run-stop percentage in all of college football. He put offensive linemen on rollerskates and easily pushed them around and out of his way to penetrate the backfield.
Last year, Auburn only allowed 123.2 rushing yards per game, good for 24th (out of 130) in the entire nation, and just 19.5 points per game (17th). Brown finished as the 2019 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and the 2019 Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy award winner. Brown also finished sixth in the SEC in tackles for a loss (12) and seventh in the SEC in forced fumbles (2).
Brown has a rare combination of size, power, and skill. With a wide base and veteran-like awareness, he could make an impact from day one, similar to the impact Fletcher Cox of the Eagles has made in his career.
Brown's work as a pass rusher is limited, which might give teams pause if there are indeed questions about him potentially being a three-down player. Per PFF's draft guide, Brown posted a 14.5% pass-rush win rate, the 17th best rate at his position.
With continued coaching and more opportunities, Brown appears to have all the tools necessary to become an every-down player; he needs the reps to polish his game.
Why He’s a Fit
The Giants play in a division that features some good offensive lines and running attacks. To keep up with those rushing attacks, the Giants will no doubt want to make sure they have a nice deep rotation of defensive linemen to keep everyone fresh late into the game when it's crunch time, something that they didn't have as of the end of 2019.
Acquiring another big and physical player capable of clogging up the rushing lanes and pushing the pocket to complement Dexter Lawrence II, Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill, and, if he's re-signed, Leonard Williams, certainly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
General manager Dave Gettleman has preached since Day 1 the importance of stopping the run and rushing the passer as being two of the three essential ingredients behind winning football. A good run defense can force offenses to rely heavily on the pass and become one-dimensional.
The Giants had their issues in that area last year, finishing 19th against the run, giving up 105.3 rushing yards per game. A solid run-stopper, Brown could be inserted in the middle of the defensive line as a contributor in that rotation.
