The 2020 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Derrick Brown 2020 NFL Draft profile.

Background

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP-WN_eL8uY

Position: DT/NT

Class: Senior

Size: 6-foot-4, 318 pounds

2019 stats: 54 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries

Brown has been an impact player on Auburn’s defense for several seasons, even if he doesn’t get all the credit he deserves. While his worth to the team doesn’t always show up in the stat line, Brown has proven to be one of the top players in the 2020 NFL Draft.

In 2016, Brown was a freshman that played sparingly with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. As a sophomore, Brown took his game to the next level, as he finished the season with 57 total tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. Auburn won 10 games that season. His junior season, Brown totaled 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, as the Tigers finished 8-5. While he would’ve been picked early in the 2019 NFL Draft, Brown decided to go back to Auburn for his senior season. He finished the year with 11.5 tackles for loss and four sacks with Auburn winning nine games.

The decision to return for his senior season was surprising, but Brown retained or even improved his draft stock through his last year of college football. Now he will be one of the first players to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Brown’s size and play strength wlll be his biggest assets at the next level. He is hard to block for any one lineman as he is hard to move off of his spot and usually he makes offensive linemen give up their ground. His presence on the defensive line demands double teams, which opens up opportunities for his teammates.

His run defense is among the best in the class. Because he oftentimes gets double teamed, linebackers are able to run freely to the ball carrier. When teams decide to run at him, he can beat his man with sheer power and can make the play. Running at him is like running at a brick wall, when he maintains his gap integrity.

He has great quickness at the snap of the ball. Brown gets off the line of scrimmage faster than most people on the line of scrimmage. With his size and strength, the acceleration he creates at the snap of the ball provides way too much momentum for any one lineman to handle.

Weaknesses

Over his college career, Brown didn’t have a lot of success as a pass rusher. He never totaled more than 4.5 sacks. Some of this is because he is an interior lineman who is double-teamed, but he could also add more moves to be an effective pass rusher. He has a good swim move, but adding more to that will help him greatly.

Because he is so big, Brown sometimes plays with too high of a pad level and loses his power. He stands straight up on some plays, which makes him lose his power. If he consistently keeps his pad level low he can be destructive on every play.

Brown doesn’t have the best awareness for a defensive tackle. He can be trying to generate pressure and not notice the offense is running a screen, counter, play-action or reverse. His ability to wreak havoc is great, but he can miss easy opportunities because he is fooled by the play.

Projected Draft Range: Top 10 Pick

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