Derrick Brown
Carolina PanthersModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 17 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.
Comps
STM Take
2023 1st-team All-Pro plus the Auburn 7th overall draft pedigree plus the 2019 SEC DPOY establishes Brown as one of the elite interior defenders of his generation. The 2024 Week 1 meniscus plus the 2025 managed snap share put continued durability question on every 2026 projection. The 2026 question is whether Brown returns to tier 1-2 territory or whether the structural injury wear plus the $96M extension creates major contract-value risk.
Brown came out of Auburn as the Carolina Panthers' 1st-round pick (7th overall) in 2020 after winning the 2019 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He earned 2023 1st-team All-Pro recognition before tearing his meniscus in Week 1 of the 2024 season and missing the year. He returned in 2025 but the snap share was managed. He signed a four-year, $96M extension in 2024.
Strengths
- 2023 1st-team All-Pro plus 2019 SEC DPOY plus 7th overall draft pedigree establishes elite IDL career résumé.
- Auburn SEC 7th overall draft pedigree plus the $96M Panthers extension gives him real elite career foundation.
Concerns
- 2024 Week 1 meniscus plus 2025 managed snap share puts continued durability question on every 2026 projection.
- $24M 2026 cap hit on the $96M Panthers extension creates major contract-value risk if Brown cannot return to tier 1-2 territory.
What to watch: Whether Brown returns to tier 2 (top 15) in 2026 plus crosses 12 games played, the threshold for confirming the 2023 All-Pro ceiling can be recaptured.