DT Derrick Brown

On his parents and how much it means for him to fulfill this dream tonight

They definitely pushed me growing up. That was my foundation. They instilled a lot of things into me, that's been my base from the beginning. I've always appreciated them and they've been there for me since day one obviously, and it's just been something that I've continued to carry on how they raised me to be.

On his mom working at Walmart and what he hopes to do for her

She loves what she does and it's a situation she wants to be in. Right now, with the times being what they are, she's protecting herself as best as she can. Going forward, that's going to be something that's up to her, what she wants to do after this.

On his takeaways from meeting with Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and general manager Marty Hurney

I took away that there's a shot I could be a Carolina Panther, and Lord willing, that's exactly how it ended up for me. I'm just very thankful for this opportunity that's been given to me.

On what sort of player he thinks he can be and what the Panthers are getting in him

Everyone wants to say I'm a run-stuffer, well, I do it all. You can go back and watch my tape. I had the most sacks. The league I played in was a lot compared to the NFL. It's just one of those things where I think I'm a three-down player, and I'm not here to sit there and try to make everybody like me, but I'm here to do what I do.

On when he felt got the feeling this week that the Panthers might take him

It was never until that phone call came in and they said they were going to turn in the ticket. Had hopes, but I don't even know man, it was uncertain and it became a lot more real when they said that I'm going to be a Carolina Panther.

How he improved in pass rushing as a senior and where he feels he can continue to improve

I think it starts with relentless effort. Then I think the next step is being able to put those tools in the bag. Being in shape, being in the highest playing level that you can be, giving my best effort going forward and just adding more tools to the tool bag when it comes time for me to be able to perform.

What led to his decision to come back for his senior year and then to play in the Outback Bowl

Coming back for my senior year, I wanted to finish my degree and I made the decision and never looked back on it. I never worried about getting hurt. I pushed through and just kept going and going and going, and trying to step up and be that leader that I always knew I could be. When it came time to decide to play in the Outback Bowl, it was never a question. My teammates elected me a captain so I was going to finish my season. They put me in a position to lead them and I was going to finish and not cut the job short.

On if any Panthers players have reached out to him

I don't even know yet. I've been on the social media tour so my phones are down. They keep buzzing, but I haven't really looked at them yet.

Explaining the nickname "Baby Barack"

It's not a bad name to have. It was one I got when I was the vice president and president of the student-athlete organization at Auburn. My teammates just kind of gave it to me because I had those positions.

What the night was like for him being at home with his family and his reaction when he saw the Panthers calling

You're sitting here in silence, and everyone is sitting around keeping high energy, positive energy and finally when that phone started vibrating on that table it's that now or never moment. You don't know who it is. I picked up the phone and it was the Carolina Panthers and I couldn't be more excited to be a Panther in my life. It's just a surreal moment. There's no words to describe it.

How he's been training

I'm just doing everything I was doing when I was playing college. As far as the running, getting into shape, just trying to stay in shape. I didn't have access to weights for a while, went ahead and bought some Home Depot buckets and filled them with sand. That's how I was getting my weight workout in. It's just about becoming adaptive and continuing to still get this work in.

How he's been preparing and training

I'm going to do whatever's asked of me. No matter what it is. In talking to coach Rhule, I haven't had an instance to talk yet, but I'm here to do whatever they ask if me. I feel like I can play all the way across the board. If that's what they want me to do, that's what I'm going to do.

Biggest highlight while at Auburn

Probably my sophomore year when we got to the SEC Championship and my senior year when we beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl. That was one hell of a way to leave Jordan-Hare.

On playing LSU and Joe Brady his senior year

We knew that they were the top dogs and we weren't going to come in there and let it go down and get beat up on. That's just the attitude we brought to the game and that's how we play ball. I'm just excited about that.

On the caliber of quarterbacks he'll be facing in the NFC South

They're guys I've watched for a long time and now I'm going to get a chance to go play ball against them and I'm going to try and give it my best.

On getting a feel for the NFL by playing Madden

There are a lot of things you pick up on Madden, and surprisingly not. I mean you learn a lot, us being "big boys" up front, we usually play the front, but actually learning the coverages and stuff, I think that's the coolest part about the game.

On his relationship with Cam Newton

I knew because of who he was at Auburn, and got to talk to him a few times when he came back. Nothing more than that really.

On being with family in a more intimate draft environment