Panthers' Deonte Brown feeling faster after dropping weight

Former Alabama offensive guard Deonte Brown was a trending topic last season and during the pre-draft process for his large frame, earning the nickname “Cornbread”.

As he enters his first NFL training camp with the Carolina Panthers, Brown is doing so in much better shape. Brown says he’s now in the 345 lbs., a stark difference from what he he was listed at during the Senior Bowl back in late January, when he weighed in at 364 lbs.

Brown was drafted in the sixth round by the Panthers and his fluctuating weight was a factor as to why the All-SEC offensive guard went so late in the draft.

Since his arrival in Carolina, Brown has been working with Panthers director of performance nutrition Kate Callaway to develop a plan that works for him, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com.

“It’s going pretty good. I feel a lot faster now that I’ve lost a few more,” Brown said to Gantt. “And to me, it’s not even about how much I weigh; it’s about how I look when I play. I don’t want to be that massive human being that sticks out. I want to kind of blend in with the other guys, but also still be that kind of mauler.”

‘It looks different’

He added that he’s cut down more fat than actual weight.

“I’m still around 345, but it looks different,” Brown said.

As he gets settled in during his first training camp, the rookie said he’s excited to finally put the pads on.

“I was really looking forward to putting on pads,” Brown said after practice last week. “One so we can actually feel the pass rush, feel the run defense. It’s not really that we were going through the motions before, but we didn’t have to hold back when you have pads on; that’s when you learn the most football.”

In his time at Alabama, Brown played with 48 games, starting 26. He earned first team All-SEC honors from the league coaches and second team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press as a senior. In his fifth and final season, Brown won a national championship, and was vital to an Alabama offense that was the No. 1 scoring offense among Power 5 teams.

Coming out of Austin High School in Decatur, Alabama, Deonte Brown reportedly weighed upwards of 400 pounds as a four-star recruit in the 2016 recruiting cycle. He only reported five offers as a recruit, but had been committed to Alabama since April of 2015.