Injury-free 2025 for Panthers' defensive tackle could mean return to Top 10 status

ESPN is currently in the process of releasing the results (via Jeremy Fowler) of its annual NFL player rankings by position for 2025. It began with running backs and has now shifted to defensive tackles. Coaches, scouts and league executives are asked for their thoughts.

The top 3 spots at this position this year belong to Dexter Lawrence (Giants), Chris Jones (Chiefs), and Jalen Carter (Eagles). So where does Carolina Panthers’ standout Derrick Brown rank, entering the 2025 season? The 2020 first-round pick was given honorable mention status. “When he's healthy, he's near the top,” said an NFL executive. “Elite run stopper with some pass-rush upside”

Of course, he wasn’t healthy in 2024, which is why he tumbled out of the Top 10. “Fresh off signing a four-year, $96 million extension (via Fowler), Brown tore his left meniscus in Carolina's season-opening loss to the Saints and did not return in 2024. The 27-year-old Brown participated in walk-throughs during 2025 minicamps but has not been cleared to return.”

Jan 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown (95) during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

A year ago at this time, Brown was the survey’s seventh-ranked defensive tackle and coming off a 2023 season in which he was named to the Pro Bowl. “Brown was a menace in the middle for the Panthers (via Fowler), leading the league with a 47 percent run stop win rate. While the sack production isn’t there— Brown has eight sacks in four years—the disruption very much is. Carolina decided to build the defense around him instead of pass-rusher Brian Burns, who was traded to the Giants.”

“You feel him more than you see the sack numbers,” a veteran NFL scout said of Brown. “When you play him and watch him, he’s really good. Wouldn’t surprise me if he has more sacks in the future. Carolina is always losing in games, so teams don’t throw the ball as much on them late.”

If and when the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft regains his standout form (he racked up 103 tackles and two sacks in 2023), ESPN’s 2026 defensive tackle rankings could look a bit different but somewhat familiar once again.

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