Is Derrick Brown a Top-10 Defensive Lineman?

Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown didn't have the best start to his professional career but has been trending in the right direction since the final month of his second year.

In the last two seasons combined, Brown has totaled 108 tackles, 21 QB hits, 13 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, and four sacks. He's been absolutely dominant in the run game but has yet to really make his presence felt as a pass rusher. According to new defensive line coach Todd Wash, that's the next step for the former first-round selection.

"Right now, we all understand and everybody out there understands he's a great run defender. He's big, strong. He's stout. And he can play all the positions across the board. The biggest thing we're going to start working is the pass rush side of things. He's a big athlete. He's 330 pounds but he has the ability, the speed, and explosiveness to get on the edges of guards. But before that can happen we talk about in our room that you have to earn the right to rush the quarterback. So we got to do a good job of stopping the run and then hopefully we're going to be able to get Derrick even better than he is right now versus the pass."

In a recent article by Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus, Brown is ranked as the 11th-best defensive lineman in the NFL.

"Brown's career trajectory is firmly pointed up, with the former Auburn star producing a career-high 84.4 PFF grade in 2022. He registered 40 pressures on 514 pass-rushing snaps last season, on his way to a 77.9 PFF pass-rush grade, also a career high."

It's a fair ranking, in my opinion. Heck, it might even be a little too generous at this point. But if the sacks start to come for Brown, he will undoubtedly ascend into the top 10.

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