Miami Dolphins select Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson. Grade: B

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Miami Dolphins select Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson with the 21st overall pick. Grade: B

This seemed like a smart place for Chop Robinson to land. I didn’t have him graded as I did Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse, or Dallas Turner, but those guys were all gone at 21, and there’s a bit of a drop after Robinson to the second tier of edge defenders. As long as Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver puts it together for Robinson so he can use his blinding speed to the pocket as his primary attribute, it’s all good. He’s a bit of a one-trick pony at this point, but the one trick is pretty impressive. 

A four-star recruit out of Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Demeioun “Chop” Robinson began his collegiate career with the Maryland Terrapins in 2021, racking up two sacks and 13 total pressures in just 82 pass-rushing snaps. He then transferred to Penn State in time for the 2022 season, which is when his pass-rush profile really expanded. Then, he had five sacks and 48 total pressures in 267 pass-rushing snaps, along with 16 solo tackles and 17 stops.

2023 looked to be another strong season for the 6′ 2⅞”, 254-pound Robinson, but he worked through injuries, and had three sacks and 26 total pressures in 148 pass-rushing snaps.

Robinson’s resume is smaller than one might like as a result, but the tape tells a clear story — he’s got speed and athleticism for the EDGE position that you rarely see. He’ll need some schematic assistance to bring out everything at the NFL level, but he’s got a lot of rocket sauce.

PLUSES

— Ridiculous combine measurables show up on tape; Robinson is so fast off the snap and will defeat tackles with that first step if his opponents aren’t set.

— Can knife through double teams as an inside mug rusher and a stand-up 3-tech or nose. Has a really nice feint crossover move and an exceptional inside counter.

— Works around the arc smoothly, and has the ability to lean into the turn to get under the blocker’s hands.

— Uses leverage against the blocker to further accentuate his speed when he closes to the pocket.

— Slap/swat move around the edge can be lethal; tackles had better be ready for it.

— Not a particularly powerful defender, but he’ll get speed-to-power bull-rushes.

MINUSES

— Robinson’s speed allows him to beat double teams before they’re set, but if they are set, he can be negated by power pretty quickly.

— Blockers who align to him in time can eat his lunch. This will probably be even more of an NFL issue.

— Could stand to accentuate his hand work, especially in those power situations.

— Can create tackles for loss in the run game with that quickness, but if you need a guy to grapple through the snap, that’s not his fastball.

— Has a nice sense of control for all that speed, but there is the occasional inevitable whiff.

Robinson has one speed — balls-out, all the time. You’re not adding him to your team to win with power; you’re doing so to rain pure hell in the backfield over and over. That he did exceedingly well in college, and with a few tweaks, he’ll be dynamic-to-dominant in the NFL.

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