Deonte Brown picked by Carolina Panthers

May 2—If the Carolina Panthers needed a reference before selecting Alabama offensive guard Deonte Brown in Saturday's NFL draft, all they had to do was ask their defensive lineman Derrick Brown.

One of the great battles within a game came in the 2019 Iron Bowl when it was Brown vs. Brown in the trenches. Deonte, the former Austin Black Bear, won the battle of the 300-pound-plus big men that day.

In fact, after ESPN announced Brown's selection with the 193rd overall in the sixth round it showed a video of Deonte Brown plow driving Derrick Brown into the Auburn secondary.

"If you look up offensive guard in the dictionary, this is your guy," ESPN's Todd McShay said. "He's a mauler and a grinder. If he latches on to you, it's over."

Deonte Brown (6-foot-4, 344 pounds) became the ninth player off the national championship Alabama Crimson Tide to be taken in this year's draft. Just a few picks after Brown, Carolina took Alabama long snapper Thomas Fletcher.

Taken in the first round by the Las Vegas Raiders was Alex Leatherwood, who played tackle on Brown's left side. Taken in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles was Landon Dickerson, who played center on Brown's right side.

"I think being picked by the Carolina Panthers is a really good fit for Deonte," Austin football coach Jeremy Perkins said. "I am as happy as I can be for him. I think it's a really good organization, and I really like their head coach Matt Ruhle."

Brown has a lot on his resume for the Panthers to like. He's spent the last five years playing on one of the biggest stages in college football for Nick Saban, who runs his program like an NFL organization.

"I feel like I've been preparing for the NFL since the day I got to Tuscaloosa," Brown said recently.

In 865 snaps at Alabama, Brown never allowed a quarterback sack.

The Carolina Panthers went 5-11 in Ruhle's first season as head coach. He came to the NFL after being a college head coach at Temple and Baylor. The Panthers were third in the NFC South behind the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.

Scoring points was an issue for Carolina. They were outscored by their opponents by 52 points while scoring 350 points. The Buccaneers scored 492 and outscored opponents by 137 points. The Saints with now retired Drew Brees at quarterback scored 482 points and outscored opponents by 145 points.

Carolina's offensive coordinator is Joe Brady, who directed LSU's national championship offense in 2019. In an effort to get Brady more tools to work with, the Panthers acquired former New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in a trade last month. The day before the draft, Carolina traded quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to Denver.

One of Carolina's biggest weapons on offense is running back Christian McCaffrey. After accumulating the third-most scrimmage yards (2,392) in NFL history in 2019, McCaffrey battled multiple injuries and only played in three games in 2020.

Brown was Carolina's ninth overall pick. Ahead of him they drafted three other players on the offensive side of the ball. They are LSU receiver Terrance Marshall Jr., BYU offensive tackle Brady Christensen and Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard.

One of the upcoming stars on Carolina's defense is Deonte's former Auburn foe, Derrick Brown. The battle of Brown vs. Brown, who are not related, didn't hurt Derrick Brown's draft status. He was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. His 20 tackles in his rookie season led all NFL rookie defensive linemen.

— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.