Everette Brown, Julius Peppers’ Replacement
April 28, 2009 – 6:45 am by Will Brinson
Everette Brown was the biggest NFL Draft Day freefall, out of the entire league; originally projected to go in the 10-15 range, Brown slipped all the way down to 43, when the Carolina Panthers traded up to grab him.
So he’s got a lot of pressure on him heading into next year already, because the Panthers gave up a 2010 first round draft pick to grab the Florida State defensive end. But he doesn’t seem that daunted by it in the following interview with Charlotte’s WFNZ, in which he talks about his slide at the draft, the pressure of being “next year’s first round pick” (this year), being able to play both the run and the pass (he was accused of just being a pass guy in college), possibly filling Julius Peppers’ shoes, and no Miami Hurricanes getting drafted.
On his tremendous slide at the NFL Draft versus being a Panther:
“It makes up for the long wait and I’m just excited to go and be a part of the Panthers organization.”
On the extra pressure of the Panthers using a first-round pick in 2010 to get him:
“No, there’s not any extra pressure in many ways. But it does express the significance and expectation of me coming in and being a part of the Panthers organization. And I look forward to coming in and taking advantage of every opportunity and giving the coaches everything they want, plus more.”
On being able to play both the run and the pass:
“Well, pass-rushing ability is my best ability. But at FSU, I developed into an every-down defensive end. I can play the run, I can play the pass. With my strength, my quickness and just my knowledge of the game, my film study and how I prepare during the week allows me to be successful as an every-down back on gameday.”
On following the Julius Peppers situation:
“No, to be honest, I haven’t kept an eye on it. I know Julius Peppers and he’s a great player. And he had a great career there in the NFL and I’m sure he’ll have many more years of success. But I haven’t followed it too closely enough to know what’s going on.”
On filling Peppers’ shoes:
“No, it’s not a daunting task. To be honest, Peppers, he came in, he made his legacy and he had a great career. But we’re two different types of players, and I’m just ready to come in and compete and make an impact.”
On no Hurricanes getting drafted:
“Well, you know, there was a lot of rebuilding going on. And, uh, you know those guys – everybody will bounce back. But that was, uh, definitely different.”
Listen to Everette Brown on WFNZ
Tags: 2009 NFL Draft Grades, Bobby Bowden, Carolina Panthers, Chuck Amato, Everette Brown, Florida State, Julius Peppers, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Draft Grades
