Derrick Brown now has another number to add alongside his name.
ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler polled league executives, coaches and scouts in compiling a list of the game’s top 10 defensive tackles. Brown, who found a spot on the honorable mention section last summer, reps the Carolina Panthers at No. 7.
Fowler writes:
Brown was a menace in the middle for the Panthers, leading the league with a 47% 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.”
Brown set a single-season NFL record for defensive linemen in 2023, amassing 103 tackles. His historic campaign led to his first Pro Bowl selection, as he replaced the now-retired and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald on the NFC squad.
That season also led to a four-year, $96 million extension for Brown—tying him with New York’s Quinnen Williams as the fourth-highest paid player at the position. Williams was amongst the six players who finished higher than Brown, who polled as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 10, on Fowler’s list.
