Albert Breer in MMQB on Derrick Brown: ’I’d Put the Jaguars Down As Another Team That’s Been Connected to Him'

One player who has been a popular projection for the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 9 overall in this month's NFL Draft has been Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

And on the surface, it makes sense: Brown is a high-ceiling player with zero character issues who would fill a big need in the middle of the team's defense. But the link between Brown and the Jaguars goes even deeper than the obvious need on the Jaguars' roster for a nose tackle, as Albert Breer of The Monday Morning Quarterback explained Monday.

Breer made the point that many NFL teams remain high on Brown despite many being lower on him than they were a few months ago due to his poor performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. And according to Breer, the Jaguars are one team that has been connected to the burly nose tackle.

"A player teams like more than the general public knows: Auburn DT Derrick Brown. He’s a very clean prospect with a high floor, and a lot of teams’ decision-makers would be surprised if he makes it past the Panthers at No. 7," Breer wrote. "I’d put the Jaguars down as another team that’s been connected to him, so much so that Jacksonville may get aggressive in trying to trade down if he’s gone when they pick at No. 9, to be better position to get a receiver or corner."

Jacksonville did sign veteran defensive tackle Al Woods to a one-year contract this offseason, but the hole at nose tackle for the long-term is still a pressing one. Marcell Dareus held down the position for the last three seasons, but the team declined his 2020 option and he remains unsigned even though the Jaguars' run defense hinged on the health of Dareus in 2019.

After Dareus was placed on injured reserve following Jacksonville's Week 7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last year, the Jaguars' run defense completely fell off a cliff. In the 10 games without Dareus (Week 1, then Weeks 9 through 17) Jacksonville allowed 1,522 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. This is an average of 152.2 rushing yards per game and 1.7 rushing scores allowed each week.

In comparison, Jacksonville allowed 707 rushing yards (117.83 yards per game) and six rushing touchdowns (one per game) in the six games Dareus played in 2019. The run defense wasn't good with him in the lineup, but it was infinitely better than it was when he was sidelined.

Brown could come in from day one and fill the role of a strong presence in the middle of the defense who commands extra attention from blockers against the run. While there are questions about his pass rush potential, there are none about his ability to play the run.

In 12 games in 2019, Brown (6-foot-5, 326-pounds), recorded 54 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-American.

In 46 career games at Auburn, Brown recorded 170 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, eight pass deflections, five forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.

To read the rest of Breer's notes in this week's The Monday Morning Quarterback, read here.

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