Anyone who has watched the Carolina Panthers play knows what NFL executives finally admitted to ESPN's senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler. 

Derrick Brown is a top-10 defensive tackle. 

NFL executives put Brown at No. 7 in the league, right behind Christian Wilkins, Justin Madubuike, and Jeffery Simmons. 

"You feel him more than you see the sack numbers," a veteran NFL scout said of Brown, via Fowler. "When you play him and watch him, he's really good. Wouldn't surprise me if he has more sacks in the future. Carolina is always losing in games, so teams don't throw the ball as much on them late."

Brown's ranking in the top 10 is an improvement from the 2023 season, where he was merely an honorable mention. That changed in the 2024 poll of NFL executives. 

He led the league with a 47% run-stop-win rate, according to ESPN. And though the sack numbers aren't gaudy, Brown remains a disruptive player all along the defensive line. 

Brown's importance to the Panthers is known. That is why the team forked over a four-year, $96 million contract extension that includes $63.165 million in guaranteed money. 

Brown is coming off a season where he posted a defensive lineman record of 103 tackles. 

He only appears to be getting better. 

"I think the message for Derrick is that Derrick is that great guy, and great guys who are talented players who work hard and do things the right way get rewarded," defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said, via the Panthers' website. "And that's exactly what happened. When I think about going back to this time last year when we first got with Derrick, the development that he's had as a player and as a person."

Rounding out the top 10 are DeForest Buckner (No. 8), Kenny Clark (No. 9), and Javon Hargrave (No. 10). The No. 1 ranked defensive lineman is Chris Jones. 

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