CHARLOTTE — Derrick Brown swears there's no secret, and that maybe it's just divine providence.

But whether it's just good fortune or good genetics, something is clearly working for the Panthers defensive lineman.

Among all of Brown's other traits and accomplishments — like the league record of 103 tackles by a lineman he set last season — he's also become one of the best in the league in batting down passes at the line of scrimmage. According to TruMedia, Brown's 21 passes defensed are the most by any defensive lineman in the league since the start of the 2020 season.

"I'll put my hand up and pray to God, that's it," Brown replied when asked the key to that stat. "Ain't no way to look at the ball, quarterbacks throw the ball so fast. So you put your hands up and try to mirror where their arm is, and every once in a while you'll get one.

"But I mean, that's just luck."

It can be luck if it happens once or twice, like the interceptions he's managed in his career (both against the Saints, one which he snagged off a Jaycee Horn tip and one he batted on his own last year, off the helmet of a Saints blocker before bringing it in). Sometimes, those things can happen just by being in the right place at the right time.

But for Brown to get his hands on as many passes as he has, that stopped being a coincidence a few seasons ago.

Panthers center Austin Corbett, who has watched Brown do it from up close, laughs when asked about his teammates' ability to get his hands into passing lanes.

"It's good to be 6-5, 330," Corbett laughed. "That was one of the things when the sperm hit the egg, this is what he was meant to be. Let's welcome to the NFL, the next genetic freak."

But having worked against him on the practice field and seen it every day, Corbett also knows there's more to it than that. Brown might be unusually large and athletic, but there are a lot of unusually large and athletic people in the NFL who haven't broken up nearly that many passes. (Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons and Kansas City's Carlos Dunlap are second in the league over the same span with 19.)

Corbett doesn't have to deal with him as often in practice now that he's snapping, but he knows from experience that you have to have the internal clock and understand the play the offense is trying to run to have any shot at stopping Brown in those situations.

He said you have to read a defender's eyes, see where he's looking, and determine in a flash if he's trying to get into the pocket or if he's about to abandon his rush and become as tall as possible. Because of Brown's strength, he can also push the pocket back into a quarterback in the most direct way, shortening the angle he has to cover.

"So do I keep going, or it's like, oh wait, he's staring behind me and looking (for the ball)," Corbett said. "So that's when we've really got to get a good handle, start trying to twist his shoulder pads, get a good handle, pull him down to not let him get his arms up. And so it's the game within the game and understanding, because it's like, OK, he's reading, he's starting to shake to get out of the pocket to scramble the quarterback or boom, here comes the ball, he's getting his hands up.

"And Derrick's blessed where he's 6-5 with freakishly long arms. So that's a lot of range to be able to cover. And so when you get the pocket compressed, he's then closer, his hands can then go higher. It's like blocking a kick. He's able to push the pocket, get his hands up quick, and disrupt a lot of things that way."

Guard Robert Hunt is as close to a like-for-like with Brown as physically exists, perhaps in the league if not on the planet, so their practice reps have become appointment-viewing. Since he's also a massive human being with great athleticism, Hunt has as good a shot as anyone at preventing Brown from getting his hands into those lanes, but he knows it's also extremely difficult.

Against an opponent, there are some dark arts he might employ to keep a defensive lineman's hands down. Hunt obviously won't use those in practice, but said he's learned from their previous meetings and the practice reps that Brown is a difficult block.

"I can't do anything in practice. I wouldn't do anything in practice to begin with," Hunt said. "But in the game, if I'm trying to prevent that, I will probably just pull the guy down. So let's see him jump up, yank him down there when they jump. Or I'll play the game how I play, whatever I see. I'll tip you, I'll pull you down.

"But with him, I think it would be a harder play. He's a heavy boy, you know what I mean? It's hard to get him tipped a little, even a little bit. And once he gets you moving off balance, that's when he can control it and he can look and get his hands up. So, he's a good player, man. He is a good player."

Yes, that appears to be an understatement, based on Brown's trajectory. He's had 13 of the 21 passes defensed in the last two seasons, and more in practices and training camp that not everyone sees.

That's why quarterback Bryce Young just laughs when asked about Brown's unique ability. As a quarterback, he knows there's only so much he can control in this situation, so he even winces when Brown does it to opponents.

"It sucks as a quarterback even," Young said. "I love it when it's for our team, but it's like, ... I'm not saying there's nothing you can do, but there's kind of nothing you can do."