Ranking the 10 best Carolina Panthers players under 25 years old in 2022

Derrick Brown – Carolina Panthers DT

Derrick Brown has the weight of the world on his shoulders next season. The former first-round pick has been a solid contributor for the Carolina Panthers over his first two seasons, but now is the time where he must step up and turn flashes into true dominance consistently.

The Panthers made the right call by taking Brown at No. 7 overall ahead of Isaiah Simmons. There have been times of struggle, but considering how much attention the Auburn product gets from opposing protection schemes, his influence has been encouraging more often than not.

Taking the next step forward will be critical for Brown this season. He’s been working exceptionally hard on improving his conditioning this offseason, which can hopefully provide more explosiveness and quickness in obvious pass-rushing situations.

Brown is set for his third defensive tackle partner in as many seasons after DaQuan Jones left for the Buffalo Bills in free agency and Matt Ioannidis was snapped up quickly following his release by the Washington Commanders.

This isn’t exactly ideal, but regardless of who is playing alongside Brown, he is held in higher regard than most and has to become one of the team’s alphas in 2022 for the Panthers to stand any chance of exceeding some lowly preseason expectations.