Carolina Panthers Draft: Redrafting the 2020 class at the bye
By Dean Jones
Redrafting the Carolina Panthers 2020 draft class at the bye week.
The Carolina Panthers have relied heavily on their young players during the 2020 season. They parted ways with plenty of established veterans and locker room leaders over the preparation period in the hope of turning around their fortunes, which has come with mixed success.
Head coach Matt Rhule has the Carolina Panthers at 4-8 at their bye week. This would have looked far better had it not been for a distinct inability to come through down the stretch that was there for all to see once again in their collapse at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12.
Some soul searching needs to be done during this period of rest from everyone involved. The Panthers won’t want to go out on a low note over their remaining four games, which would only complicate matters regarding just how long their current rebuild is going to take.
They do have an exciting young core from which to build a possible contender. But would the Panthers have gone in a different direction with their 2020 NFL Draft selections judging by what we’ve seen so far?
Pick No. 7
Derrick Brown – DT
This was still the right pick. Derrick Brown has done well with plenty of attention coming his way in the absence of Kawann Short and there is every chance he can become a real force to be with another offseason under his belt.
Brown has come up with some outstanding plays during the season and his presence in run support has been a useful asset to call upon. The defensive tackle does have some limitations getting after the quarterback on occasions. But that is something we knew before Carolina took him with the No. 7 overall selection.
The Auburn product has 27 combined tackles, 19 solo tackles, seven quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, two passes defended, six pressures at the bye. Brown has all the tools needed to be a good player at the next level, but the Panthers need him to be a great one.