Panthers 2021 Draft: Studs and duds from Day 1 at Senior Bowl
By Dean Jones
Deonte Brown – OG (Alabama)
It will come as no surprise to anybody that Deonte Brown weighed in at 364 pounds at the Senior Bowl. The offensive lineman is an absolute mammoth on the interior protection, but the quickness he displayed during pass-rushing drills one-on-one was an eye-catching feature from day one of practice.
Brown demonstrated the sort of footwork and ability to keep players in front of him that might just see him become an NFL caliber player after all. There were some doubts about his conditioning in terms of being able to cope with a three-down job at the next level. But the early signs are positive for the Alabama standout after an exceptional 2020 campaign.
The Carolina Panthers will be keeping a close eye on Brown for the rest of the week. They are set for wholesale changes on their offensive line this offseason with four out of contract and center Matt Paradis in danger of becoming a salary-cap casualty.
Acquiring someone like Brown comes with some risk.
But the rewards could be great.
He made a good start to proving some of his doubters wrong during the first portion of team drills. Brown is a player clearly high on confidence and he might be the one who benefits most from a strong series of practices in the coming days.