Carolina Panthers: 3 reasons why Derrick Brown was the right pick

Brown’s leadership potential

Don’t let Derrick Brown’s quiet approach to life off the field fool you. He is a ruthless player that has a rare ability to inspire others around him on the field through his production.

He is not shy about voicing his opinions and motivates his teammates incredibly well. The only proof one needs regarding this matter are the high esteem to which Brown is held with former players and coaches alike.

Head coach Matt Rhule is a firm believer in this judging by their Senior Bowl encounter.

"“At the start of the Senior Bowl when I left that meeting with him, I’m not going to say I was emotional, but I was touched by who he was. His spirit comes through. Then you talk to the coaches, you talk to all the people at Auburn and they can’t talk enough about him. Even as he’s getting drafted, I’m getting text message after text message of people seeing the things that he’s done. He’s a military family, the service that he provides to other people. “There are people I know that I’ve worked with at Auburn, not even in football, but in sports information, there’s not enough people that can’t say enough about him and who he is. Make no mistake, he’s a great, great, great, great player. Joe Brady had to go against him last year and said he was the number one guy he had to game for all season in the SEC. But it’s also nice to have guys that love football and care about the community and care about being great people. I know there are lots of them in the draft, but Derrick Brown is definitely one of them.”"

Leadership is something the Carolina Panthers desperately need following a series of high-profile departures this offseason. The likes of Gerald McCoy, Cam Newton, and Luke Kuechly were renowned locker room leaders and others will need to step up and fill the void.

This is a responsibility that is sure to bring a little extra out of Brown. And an opportunity the prospect will undoubtedly relish once he acclimatizes to his new surroundings.