Surprising Panthers star lands in PFF's top 20 pass-rushers

On Sunday, the much-maligned Carolina Panthers pass rush finally came alive, recording six sacks and countless other pressures. Prior to that game, they had five sacks through six weeks. Now, they rank near the bottom, but it's still an improvement on last season and the first six weeks.

You might think this is because of one of the rookie edge rushers coming alive, and while Nic Scourton had an exceptional day against the New York Jets, it's not that. It's been the return of Derrick Brown, who has somehow been a top-20 pass rusher in the entire NFL, according to PFF.

Derrick Brown is also an elite pass rusher, PFF claims

We know how good Derrick Brown is in the run game, routinely shedding blockers (more like tossing them aside) and making tackles everywhere. But he's also been incredible at getting to the quarterback, which was not exactly his calling card beforehand.

Per PFF, Brown has the 17th-best pass-rush grade at 80.9. That puts him in elite company and even leads several star edge rushers:

Nik Bonitto (who leads NFL in sacks)
Jaelan Phillips
Byron Murphy
TJ Watt
Brian Burns
Abdul Carter

Getting to the quarterback is vital for an NFL defense, and while the additions of Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen have and will help, Brown's return has been everything the Panthers needed. If this continues, Brown should get some Defensive Player of the Year talk.

For one thing, his return has transformed the league's worst (by a massive margin) run defense into a respectable if not good unit. They have given up 131 rushing yards in the last three games combined. Brown has revitalized that area of the defense.

And while the pass rush hasn't been elite, it's improving, and Brown is right at the center of it. He leads the team with three sacks and, according to the PFF grades, is one of the best rushers in the entire NFL. That kind of two-way play doesn't come around often, and the Panthers are so much better because of it.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Carolina Panthers studs & duds from ugly road win over the Jets

Panthers get modest bump in power rankings for beating awful Jets

Takeaways from the Panthers’ uninspiring Week 7 win over the Jets

Panthers coach Dave Canales makes another baffling lineup decision