Carolina Panthers top 30 all-time greatest players: No. 27 (Derrick Brown)

Although Derrick Brown has only been a Carolina Panther for four years, he has established himself as a difference maker on the defensive side of the ball. The next time this list is written, I would expect Brown to be much higher. He was drafted 7th overall in the 2020 NFL draft, and has played 66 games for Carolina.

During his rookie year Brown played all 16 games with 15 starts. He made 34 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss, which ranked third among all NFL rookies. Brown added 2.0 sacks and four pass deflections, all while playing 70 percent of the defensive snaps, the seventh most among NFL rookie DTs since 2004 (when stats became available). All of this earned Derrick All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Writers of America.

During the 2021 season he appeared in 16 games, making 14 starts at defensive tackle. Brown finished the season with 41 total tackles, 22 QB pressures and 3.0 sacks, and ranked third on the team with nine QB hits. 2022 was Derrick Brown’s breakout campaign. He started all 17 games with a career high 67 tackles, which tied him with Mike Rucker as a record for the most by a Panthers defensive lineman in a season. He added five tackles for a loss as well as a sack. Brown also tied a personal high with 12 QB hits while making 29 pressures.

If 2022 was his breakout, then 2023 was Brown’s coming out party to the rest of the NFL. Brown set a new NFL record for tackles made by a defensive tackle in 2023 with 103 tackles, breaking the previous record of 98 tackles in a season by a DT. This was enough to earn Brown his first Pro-Bowl appearance. It was also enough for Carolina to give him a four-year, $96-million contract.

It was evident last season that he was the best player on the field for the Panthers. Derrick Brown continues to be a dominant force in the trenches. He has been consistent since the day he arrived, and seems to be getting better every year. Here is to many more seasons of domination on the d-line.