12d ago football Edit

Penn State DE Chop Robinson selected in First Round of 2024 NFL Draft

Dub Jellison • Happy Valley Insider

Staff Writer

A pair of Nittany Lions have now heard their names called in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft as Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 21st pick. Robinson joins his former teammate Olu Fashanu, who was selected 11th overall by the New York Jets.

Robinson becomes the highest selected Nittany Lion defender since Micah Parsons went 12th overall in 2022. He is also the sixth first round pick for Penn State under head coach James Franklin, along with Fashanu, Parsons, Saquon Barkley, Jahan Dotson and Odafe Oweh.

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ROBINSON AS A RECRUIT....

Coming out of high school, Robinson was one of the top outside linebackers in the country, holding rankings of 177th overall and 12th at his position, according to Rivals. The Maryland native stayed in-state to suit up for the Terps, choosing them over the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, USC and others.

A year later, he became one of the top prospects on the transfer portal market, ultimately making an in-conference move to Penn State ahead of the 2022 campaign.

ROBINSON AS A PLAYER....

After coming over from Maryland in the transfer portal in 2022, Robinson became one of the top defenders for the Nittany Lions. During his two years in Happy Valley, he racked up 41 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Awards/Accolades:

— 2023 second-team All-American (Pro Football Focus, USA Today)

— 2023 third-team All-American (Associated Press)

— 2023 Penn State Team MVP

— 2023 All-B1G first team (coaches and media)

— 2022 All-B1G honorable mention (coaches and media)

— 2022 All-Big Ten second team selection (Pro Football Focus)

What the experts are saying....

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein on Robinson: Edge defender who offers the type of elite athleticism we’ve seen from players like Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett. Robinson might not be as fast as Parsons, but he’s close. He’s ultra-twitchy with the explosiveness to get on top of blockers and overwhelm them in an instant. However, he will need to level up his hand skills and attack angles to reach his potential against NFL tackles. Robinson’s electric athletic traits alone should give him a floor as a good NFL starter. If he crafts a rush approach and learns to string moves/counters together, he could reach his ceiling as a destructive force capable of forcing teams to game plan around him.

Bleacher Report's NFL Draft Department on Robinson: "Robinson also has sneaky strength and is physical at the point of attack. That helps him take advantage of weaker offensive tackles when turning speed to power and overcome some of his size deficiencies as a run defender when his hands and leverage are right. However, his hand placement and leverage are inconsistent."

ProFootballNetwork on Robinson: "Robinson’s physical build is unique. He lacks the elite length many crave in top-tier EDGE defenders. However, Robinson nevertheless wins with all kinds of different qualities, and he compensates in the power realm with his momentum generation, strength, leverage, and relentless drive."