Carolina Panthers DT Derrick Brown made ESPN's top 100 NFL players list.
Brown wasn't ranked in 2025, but he's ranked No. 78 this year.
"In his past two healthy seasons (excluding his 2024 campaign that was limited to one game due to meniscus surgery), Brown produced 34 QB hits and seven total sacks, per NFL Next Gen Stats. With edge rusher Jaelan Phillips now joining Carolina's front, those numbers should only go up. While Phillips tightens the pocket, Brown can get hands on opposing quarterbacks regularly, especially with his history of shedding blocks," ESPN wrote.
For the Panthers last season, Brown put up 5.0 sacks, 33 solo tackles, five tackles for loss and 11 QB hits. He played in all 17 regular-season games.
Brown enters this season with 13.0 sacks, 169 solo tackles, 33 tackles for loss and 59 QB hits. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Auburn.
At the end of June, Brown made the NFL Top 100 players list. He came in at No. 90.
"I mean, to be within the top 100 guys in the best football league in the world, you can't hate something like that," Brown said. "But you know, now I just feel so many more team aspirations and so many more personal aspirations like, I'm glad to be a part of it."
The Panthers won the NFC South last season but lost to the Los Angeles Rams at home in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The next step for Carolina is to win a playoff game.
Even though the Panthers won the NFC South title last season, they finished with a sub-.500 record and needed help in Week 18 to win the division. Dave Canales and Co. must prove next season that they didn't just benefit from playing in the league's weakest division.
It will be fascinating to see how Carolina does in 2026. The team will no longer fly under the radar after making the playoffs last season.
Carolina has a difficult 2026 schedule. They face the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
