Tag: Chop Robinson

Dolphins OLB finishes 5th for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Two Rams and two Eagles finished ahead of Chop Robinson in the DROY race.

Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Chop Robinson finished fifth in the race for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The award instead went to Los Angeles Rams pass rusher Jared Verse.

Robinson, 22, earned 74 votes (including four second-place votes), which was 22 short of the Rams’ Braden Fiske and 17 short of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Cooper DeJean for a spot in the top three. Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell finished second place with the top two well ahead of the rest of the field.

The Dolphins’ 2024 first-round pick had a slow start to the year and didn’t record his first career sack until November. But he was a star down the stretch with 42 quarterback pressures in his last nine games of the year.

Robinson finished the season with six sacks and eight tackles for loss. Verse had 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and earned Pro Bowl honors.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Chop Robinson describes his ‘welcome to the league’ moment

Chop Robinson said a four-time Pro Bowler was “just terrorizing” him every play during his rookie season.

Chop Robinson had a slow start to his rookie year with the Miami Dolphins. His first sack didn’t come until November and along the way he was “terrorized” by a Buffalo Bills four-time Pro Bowler.

“Dion Dawkins … he gave me my welcome to the league moment,” Robinson told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Thursday. “I was going against him — I mean, both games he gave me a welcome to the league moment. I was just going against him every single play I lined up on him and he was just terrorizing me. I didn’t think –seeing him on film, he moved good — but when you’re out there on the field and you’re going against him, he moves just as good as I can getting off the ball.”

In the Dolphins’ 31-10 loss to the Bills in Week 2, Robinson managed to record two pressures, including one against Dawkins. Six weeks later, the rookie got his first career sack by bringing down Josh Allen in a 30-27 loss. Robinson pushed Dawkins back into the quarterback to make the play.

While the rookie says it was his toughest matchup, his moderate success in the Week 8 rematch served as a springboard for a tremendous second half of his 2024 season.

Robinson racked up 42 pressures in the last nine games of the year — second most in the league over that stretch behind only the Cleveland Browns’ reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett.

It was a run of pass rushing success that Robinson himself wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull off earlier in the year.

“When I first came in I thought I wasn’t going to be able to survive the whole season,” Robinson told Russini. “Just a mental thing. Just going out there every single day, everybody competing. It’s a job now, it’s not just college so it was a big change. But once I got comfortable, I enjoyed every second of it.”

Robinson finished 2024 with six sacks and eight tackles for loss.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Chop Robinson named a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year

Chop Robinson is one of five finalists for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Chop Robinson is one of five finalists for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, the NFL announced Thursday morning.

Robinson, 22, had a slow start to his rookie year with the Dolphins with zero sacks through the team’s first seven games of the 2024 season. But in the half of the year, Robinson emerged as one of the NFL’s most dangerous pass rushers.

Between Weeks 10 and 18, Robinson racked up 42 quarterback pressures. That was tied with the Browns’ Myles Garrett for second most in the NFL behind only the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons. Robinson finished the season with six sacks and eight tackles for loss

Unfortunately for Robinson, his odds of receiving the Rookie of the Year award are pretty long. The Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse emerged as a significant favorite to receive the honor with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell also in the mix.

The winner will be announced February 6 at the NFL Honors.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dolphins’ Chop Robinson earns spot on ESPN’s All-Rookie team

Chop Robinson’s strong back half of the 2024 season earned a tip of the cap from ESPN.

Chop Robinson finished the 2024 season on a tear, but won’t get many accolades to show for it. The Miami Dolphins rookie didn’t earn a Pro Bowl nod, didn’t get any All-Pro votes, and doesn’t have much of a shot at NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

But ESPN thinks the Dolphins’ first-round pick deserves some acknowledgement for wreaking havoc down the stretch.

In their 2024 NFL All-Rookie Team, Robinson is even listed one spot ahead of the Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Verse, who is the runaway favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Via Ben Solak of ESPN:

Robinson has had such a cool, underappreciated season. He was the eighth-fastest edge rusher off the ball, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, with an average get off of 0.76 seconds, and leveraged that wicked first step into a 17.2% pressure rate — sixth among all edge rushers with at least 200 pass rushes and first among rookies, including Jared Verse.

Robinson had a low sack rate given his pressure rate and get off, but that’s to be expected for a young speed racer off the edge. In college football, players just need to win the race to the corner and they’ll get the quarterback down; in the NFL, it’s much tougher. Robinson was never a high sack guy in college, so technical steps are still needed to become a strong finisher in the pocket, but the base of an elite pass rusher is already there.

Unsurprisingly, he’s the only Dolphins player on the list. Second-round pick Patrick Paul played sparingly when injuries stacked up at the offensive tackle position late in the year, and four of the team’s Day 3 selections — Jaylen Wright, Mohamed Kamara, Malik Washington, and Patrick McMorris — saw the field some as rookies. There was also undrafted cornerback Storm Duck who saw plenty of action.

None of those players had nearly the impact of Robinson, though.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Penn State gets second transfer commitment from Enai White

Penn State adds transfer commitment from former four-star SEC recruit

While all eyes were on Penn State getting ready for their first round College Football Playoff matchup against SMU on Saturday, they were able to improve their team for next season.

Having already earned a commitment from USC transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson, the Nittany Lions were able to strike again.

Per Hayes Fawcett of On3, former Texas A&M edge rusher [autotag]Enai White[/autotag] is now the second player in the portal to commit to Penn State following his visit to Happy Valley.

Rated as a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, 247Sports ranked him as the No. 38 overall player in the cycle and fourth-best edge rusher in the country.

White was someone who was on Penn State’s radar when he was a prep player. From Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia, they were in the running to land the talented defensive end until he ultimately committed to Texas A&M. But now that he was looking for a new opportunity elsewhere, he decided to come back to his home state after seeing what the Nittany Lions had to offer once again.

Defensive line coach Deion Barnes was a huge factor in this decision.

“I knew coach Deion before he got the job at Penn State. He used to train me. He grew up not too far from where I grew up. The way they play their defensive ends (stood out). They play vertical, up the field. That kind of fits the way I play the game. The belief that coach Deion had in me, I am in the transfer portal, I am coming off an injury, but he still believes in what I can do, so that plays a big role in what I have going on right now,” he said per Brian Dohn of 247Sports.

Penn State will have a need at pass rusher next season.

With [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] proving he’s one of the premier players in the sport, he’s going to have NFL teams fighting over him when he eventually declares for the draft.

The Nittany Lions have had success out of the transfer portal at this position recently, as [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] turned into a first-round pick in the 2024 draft after coming in from Maryland.

White has the pedigree, but his lackluster career so far that consists of 11 total tackles with three coming for a loss and two sacks certainly doesn’t make this a sure thing.

The relationship and familiarity with Barnes should help, and Penn State doesn’t just take players out of the portal just to take him.

If White can live up to his potential in Happy Valley, he could be the next great pass rusher who has suited up for the program.

Anthony Weaver wants a chance to use all 3 Dolphins edge rushers

Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, and Bradley Chubb didn’t get to play together in 2024. Will they get the chance in 2025?

When the Miami Dolphins picked Chop Robinson in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, the team knew it was unlikely that he’d begin his career in rotation with edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.

Now it’s a question if Robinson will ever play with that duo.

After returning from an Achilles tear in time to play Week 1, Phillips made it only four games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Meanwhile, Chubb is still working to return from the devastating knee injury he suffered on New Year’s Eve in 2023.

While there’s no reason to believe Phillips and Robinson won’t play together in 2025, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Dolphins decided to part with Chubb in order to clear more than $20 million in cap space in each of the next three seasons.

But defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is hoping he eventually gets to see what he can with the trio.

“The idea of having all three of them available and on the field on the same time, I mean you completely opened up Pandora’s box for me and you just start thinking of ways you can use them in multiple positions and really scare and intimidate offenses,” Weaver said Thursday. “t would certainly be an awesome, I want to say problem, it’s certainly not a problem, but it’d just be a lot of fun to see what we can do with all those three guys.”

With five sacks in the last seven weeks, Robinson has made a late push to get in the mix for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Last season, Phillips had 6.5 sacks in eight games before his Achilles tear. Chubb finished the year with 11 sacks in 16 games.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Chop Robinson has been one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in November

Chop Robinson has recorded a pressure on a phenomenal 23.9 percent of his pass rush snaps in November.

The lightbulb has gone on for Miami Dolphins rookie outside linebacker Chop Robinson.

The No. 21 pick in the 2024 NFL draft had a slow start to his first season with zero sacks in the Dolphins’ first seven games. But that has given way to a strong November for the rookie.

In three games this month, Robinson has recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss, and 15 pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, only five players in the NFL — Tuli Tuipulotu, Jeffery Simmons, Trey Hendrickson, Jared Verse, and Kyle Van Noy — recorded more pressures in the last three weeks. And all of them did it with at least 100 pass rushing snaps while Robinson recorded his 15 pressures on 78 snaps.

His rate of recording a pressure on 23.9 percent of his rushes is best in the NFL among players who have more than 40 pass rushing snaps in the last three weeks.

“He’s found a way to disrupt the passer for us, which is exactly what the doctor ordered at the right time,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.

With Jaelan Phillips lost for the year with a knee injury and Bradley Chubb yet to return from the knee injury he suffered at the tail end of the 2023 season, the Miami pass rush was in desperate need of Robinson’s uptick in production.

The question now is how his recent success will impact opposing game plans, and if the rest of the Dolphins defense can take advantage.

“Once you are making plays or you’re creating disruption, then you have to find a way to impact the game once people devote the appropriate attention, which always comes when you’re making an impact on the game,” McDaniel said.

“When someone devotes extra attention to Chop, he needs to be productive in those situations. And then his teammates have to take advantage of the extra space — whether that’s a halfback getting out late because he’s trying to chip his way out, or the guard getting out to the tackle to provide help, which in turn gives some lightness in protection internally. All those things play off each other. … We’ll have to take his positive plays and make more positive plays.”

The Dolphins expect Chubb to return at some point this season, but McDaniel hasn’t indicated that it’ll happen any time soon. If the team hopes to continue its climb back into postseason contention, it’ll need Robinson to continue his emergence as a bright spot on defense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Anthony Weaver: ‘I love how Chop Robinson is playing right now’

Anthony Weaver is encouraged by Chop Robinson’s growth and says “it’s inevitable” that sacks will start coming in bunches.

Two weeks into his rookie season, Miami Dolphins first-round pick Chop Robinson has no sacks and just two tackles. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver isn’t too worried about it, though.

“I love how Chop is playing right now,” Weaver told reporters Thursday. “I know from a numbers standpoint maybe the production hasn’t been there, but when you watch the tape, you realize just how close he is. And his production, again, all he can do is give energy and effort and try to execute his technique and then ultimately through the law of the numbers, the production will come and I believe that’s going to happen, wholeheartedly.”

The numbers at Pro Football Focus corroborate that review.

Robinson, 21, has been credited with three pressures on only 16 pass rushing snaps. His 75.0 grade through two games is fourth among all defensive rookies in the NFL, who have played at least 20 snaps.

“He’s been great,” Weaver said. “What we ask for from a technique standpoint is so much different than what they were asked to do in college. … We’re constantly trying to change the math on all levels of our defense, so there’s some re-teaching that needs to occur, but for Chop, that learning has happened very quickly.”

If his upward trajectory starts yielding sacks, that would provide a significant boost for a team that hasn’t generated a ton of pressure yet. Last season, the Dolphins ranked third in the NFL with 56 sacks. Through two weeks of the 2024 season, Miami has only three. Just three teams have fewer sacks so far.

A potential concern is that Robinson did a lot of generating pressure in the collegiate ranks, but didn’t rack up many sacks to show for it. In two seasons at Penn State, the pass rusher was credited by PFF with 74 total pressures; however, he had just 9.5 sacks with the Nittany Lions.

“That’s not on that kid alone,” Weaver said of that disparity. “He’s had some good rushes, and sometimes you haven’t had the coverage to match what he’s doing and vice versa.

“The numbers will come as he earns more reps. As he continues to earn trust with his teammates and we find more reasons to put him out there, again, I believe that those numbers will come because the kid plays too hard, he’s too talented. He listens, he takes the coaching. It’s inevitable.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dolphins rookie Chop Robinson not overthinking his preseason debut

Chop Robinson is set to make his preseason debut this weekend and he’s trying to keep the moment in perspective.

Miami Dolphins rookie linebacker Chop Robinson is set to make his first appearance in an NFL game this Saturday after being inactive for the first preseason contest.

Coincidentally, Robinson will be debuting against his hometown team, the Washington Commanders.

“My dad is a big Commanders fan and he loves the Commanders, especially when Kirk Cousins was there, Alex Smith, all those guys,” Robinson said Wednesday.

It’s all business for Robinson, though. While he’s the most anticipated rookie for Dolphins fans this preseason, the young edge rusher is keeping the moment in perspective.

“I just try not to overthink it,” Robinson said. “Just go out there, play football, and have fun. At the end of the day, it’s just football, so just go out there, listen to my coaches. I know the playbook so I just go out there and play.”

The Dolphins selected Robinson with the No. 21 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. While the Dolphins may have had more glaring needs entering the draft, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel couldn’t ignore the elite talent Robinson is. When McDaniel spoke with reporters Wednesday, he expressed optimism about Robinson’s impact on the team.

“You have a lot of hopes for first-round draft picks when they come in to your team,” McDaniel said. “I think the under-the-radar one that’s very important is how that player is going to handle being a first-round draft pick on that team. Your peers, you’re joining a bunch of paid professionals that have been doing their specific role for years and all they want is a first-round draft pick to come in and help towards the cause.

“I think for Chop, he has gone about it the way you’d want, you’d really hope from a player perspective to really add value to the team because he is really earning the respect of his teammates each and every day.”

The Dolphins are hopeful their first-round selection will pay dividends as he learns from star edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. Robinson will likely play in a rotational role similar to the role Andrew Van Ginkel played a year ago.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Emmanuel Ogbah has ‘unfinished business’ with Dolphins

Emmanuel Ogbah says he chose to rejoin the Dolphins over another option, because he has more to do in Miami.

When Emmanuel Ogbah was released by the Miami Dolphins in February, he didn’t think his time with the team was completely over. He just didn’t think the reunion would come so soon.

“I honestly wouldn’t have believed it, but I always knew I was going to be back here eventually,” Ogbah told reporters Thursday. “I have unfinished business here, so that’s what I’m ready to take care of here.”

Ogbah, 30, first joined the Dolphins in 2020 on a two-year deal and signed a four-year extension with the team in 2022. But following the departure of Brian Flores and the emergence of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, Ogbah’s role diminished and he was released by Miami in February with two years left on his deal.

For five months, Ogbah sat on the free agency market until the surprising retirement of Shaquil Barrett opened up a spot on the Dolphins’ roster.

“I had all the time in the world to get ready, mentally prepare, physically prepare, just to get ready for this season,” Ogbah said. I didn’t know where I was going to be, but I’m just happy to be here.

“It came down to two teams, and I picked Miami because I feel like unfinished business here, so that’s why I’m excited to be back.”

The Dolphins could use early results from Ogbah. Both Chubb and Phillips are on the PUP list as they continue to recover from injuries that ended their respective 2023 campaigns. Miami also drafted Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara, but expecting rookie pass rushers to be productive is a lot to ask.

Ogbah’s contributions could be crucial while Chubb and Phillips get back up to speed. And he has plenty of motivation to prove his reunion with the Dolphins is a worthwhile one.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]