The Carolina Panthers have signed their top 2009 draft pick, defensive end Everette Brown from Florida State, the team announced Tuesday. Selected in the second round (43rd overall), Brown twice led the Seminoles in sacks before entering the NFL Draft following his junior season.
Brown, 6-foot-1, 256 pounds, played in 41 games with 25 starts at Florida State, seeing action at both left and right defensive end. He finished his career ranked fifth in school history with 23 sacks and second with 46.5 tackles for losses to go along with 100 tackles, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
As a junior in 2008, he stood third in the nation with 13.5 sacks and fourth with 21.5 tackles for losses, the third-highest single-season totals in school annals, to earn first-team All-ACC honors. In addition, he was runner-up for both the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, a second-team All-American and finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation's best defensive player.
He gathered a team-high six sacks as a sophomore in 2007 after garnering Freshman All-American and All-ACC Freshman team recognition by The Sporting News in 2006. A native of Statonsburg, N.C., Brown attended Beddingfield High School in Wilson, N.C.
Carolina has signed six of its seven draft choices. Still unsigned is second-round choice Sherrod Martin.
