MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — If all goes to plan this offseason, first-round pick Chop Robinson will be — at best — the No. 4 pass rusher on the Miami Dolphins‘ roster.
We probably won’t know the true timeline for the return of Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (ACL) for at least another three months. But both are said to be making great progress in their recoveries and could play Week 1.
If so, that means Robinson in his rookie year will be at least behind them on the depth chart. And don’t forget about Zach Sieler, whose 10 sacks in 2023 were 10th among all defensive tackles.
What To Expect From Miami Dolphins Rookie Chop Robinson
So those double teams Chop Robinson saw way too much of in his two years at Penn State? A thing of the past.
“‘Man, that team, they just had too many pass rushers, that was their problem’ — that’s never been said,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said late Thursday night. “So I think the common denominator is, you know that you’re adding to your team, you feel great about that, and you let the players kind of set the orchestration of all the multiple things that you can do. I know our coordinator is not afraid of outside the box, so he might be playing corner, who knows?”
That coordinator is Anthony Weaver, who met with his fancy new gizmo during Robinson’s first visit ever to Miami on Friday.
The NFL Draft‘s No. 21 overall pick toured team HQ and met with reporters, wearing a dazzling, personalized pendant on his chest and a chip on his shoulder.
Robinson knows the knocks on him — not enough big plays in college, not enough versatility to his game, etc. — and seems to take them personally (Michael Jordan fans will get the reference of his X account’s banner image).
“I feel like the things [Weaver] could do would just bring more cheat codes that I have, things to my toolbox,” Robinson said at his introductory news conference Friday. “There are things that a lot of people say that I don’t have; I feel like I know I’ve been working on it, and I feel like he could just elevate my game even more.”
Robinson needs to get better in non-pass-rushing situations. He should have time to do just that.
Assuming Phillips and Chubb make full recoveries, Robinson will likely begin his career as a part-time player (our guess is a ~40% participation rate in 2024), and as he earns more playing time, he’ll get it.
At Penn State, he played all over the defensive line, and the Dolphins haven’t ruled out using him on the inside if the situation warrants.
KEEP READING: Why the Miami Dolphins Didn’t Take an Offensive Lineman in Round 1
“His testing numbers are elite, and you see all the tools, the things he can do,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. “But is he a finished product? No. And I think he’d probably admit that to you as well, and not many players who come into the league are.
“So we think he has obviously the get-off and speed that everyone talks about as kind of rare and his athletic tools. So I think again for us, he still has a runway to keep improving, but the fact that the guy works hard and has a tremendous motor and toughness to him which gives us really excitement to think he’ll reach his peak of ability that we think he can hit.”
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