If the Carolina Panthers had another shot at the 2020 NFL draft, would they select Derrick Brown again with the seventh overall pick? Frankly, probably not.
And neither would Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus. The NFL analyst reran the event from two years back and didn’t go, despite Carolina’s original first-round choice still up on the board, with the Auburn defensive tackle.
Instead, he opted for University of Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr.—whom the Panthers have seen plenty of over the past few seasons.
“This might seem early for Winfield — or any safety given the draft history at the position — but Winfield has proven himself to be a special, well-rounded player through two seasons with the Buccaneers,” Linsey writes. “He’s coming off a 2021 season with 85.0-plus PFF run-defense and coverage grades above, and he posted the second-highest overall grade (89.5) at the position — behind only Kevin Byard.”
Antoine, son of Antoine, kicked off his pro career with a bang—finishing fourth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He’d then be selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2021 after recording 88 tackles, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
So, what happened to Brown? Well, he and another standout Panther would be scooped up a bit later in the mock.
Linsey goes on to settle Brown in with the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 23:
“Los Angeles’ interior defensive line was one of the biggest problem areas on its roster last season. Brown hasn’t yet been the dominant force that the Panthers were hoping for when they drafted him in the top 10, but he would represent an upgrade over what the Chargers have had at the position over the last several years. Brown improved his PFF run-defense grade by roughly seven points from 2020 to 2021, and his 57 quarterback pressures across those two seasons rank third among all players in the draft class.”
And then he has the Seattle Seahawks using the draft’s 27th pick on safety Jeremy Chinn, who was selected at the final slot of the second round (No. 64 overall) in the real-life version.
“Chinn has also impressed in Carolina, raising his PFF grade from 59.0 as a rookie to 71.4 in his second season last year. He profiles as one of the bigger safeties in the league and is a tremendous athlete. Perhaps most importantly, this draft pick would have likely kept Seattle from sending multiple first-round picks to New York for Jamal Adams — a trade that has looked like a mistake in hindsight.”
All in all, 2020 wasn’t actually a bad draft for the Panthers. They may not have hit a home run at No. 7, but they got themselves a pair of first-round talents who have proven to be pretty solid starters thus far.
