CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The last time Carolina Panthers first-round pick Derrick Brown joined a defense with as many new pieces as he’s around now, the tackle was entering his freshman season at Auburn in 2016.
“We finished in the top 15 in the country," Brown said.
That season, Auburn finished seventh in the nation in scoring defense a year after finishing 54th. The jump in overall defense was considerable, too, from 71st to 28th.
A major difference between what Brown faced in 2016 to now was that Auburn had six returning starters.