Derrick Brown, the heart and soul of the Carolina Panthers defense, is seeing his star continue to grow.

Merely days away from training camp, Brown was named a top-50 player in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

He was ranked No. 43 in the league, one slot better than Laramy Tunsil who plays for the Houston Texans.

“Derrick Brown is as good as it gets when it comes to defending the run from the inside, but he also brings a real pass-rushing presence,” writes Sam Monson. “In each of the past two seasons, he has notched at least 40 quarterback pressures and a 77.9 PFF pass-rushing grade, even if he pushes the pocket more than he generates sacks. Brown is a problem for opposing offenses to deal with.”

Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs), Dexter Lawrence II (New York Giants), and Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles) are the only defensive linemen who rank higher than Brown on Monson’s list.

Where Monson gets it wrong is placing Jalen Carter ahead of Brown. Carter is a good player, but Brown’s track record speaks for itself.

Brown may not put up gaudy stats, but the near-constant pressure he puts on opposing offensive lines makes it a tough day at the offense any time he lines up against opponents.

Still, Brown being the only player from the Panthers mentioned on the list shows how much work Carolina still has to do to build a competitive roster.