Tag: Chop Robinson

Watch James Franklin race from Olu Fashanu’s to Chop Robinson’s first round NFL draft party

Penn State head coach James Franklin raced from one draft party to another to celebrate with his players being drafted in the first round.

There is something to be said about the relationships James Franklin fosters with his players and their families. Faced with the likely possibility of having two of his players selected in the first round of the NFL draft, Franklin made sure he was there for both players and their special moments despite being an hour apart from each other.

Franklin attended the draft watch party for Fashanu, who was selected by the New York Jets with the no. 11 overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. After celebrating with his top offensive lineman and relishing the moment with Fashanu’s family, Franklin had to hit the road to make it to another draft watch party for Chop Robinson, roughly an hour away. And he made it just in time for the call to come to Robinson from the Miami Dolphins with the no. 21 overall pick.

And cameras documented the whole experience for Frnaklin as he rushed from one draft party to the next without missing the big moments at either. It’s a pretty cool video package that is worth a few minutes of your time. You can check it out below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6PsCiIO6Ry/

Catch all of the latest updates from the NFL draft with USA TODAY’s live draft tracker. For a look at each Penn State draft prospect, be sure to check out our Penn State NFL draft tracker.

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USA TODAY grades Day 2 NFL draft picks of Penn State players

USA TODAY Sports grades the draft selections of Day 2 picks from Penn State.

After watching two players get drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Day 1 of the draft, Penn State saw two more of its players be drafted by NFL franchises on Day 2. Offensive tackle Caedan Wallace may have gone a little earlier than some expected, and defensive end Adisa Isaac looks like a bit of a bargain as a late third-round draft pick. But how are those picks being graded?

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA TODAY Sports graded every pick from Day 12 of the NFL draft and was seemingly not too impressed with the decisions by two teams to draft Penn State players.

The New England Patriots selected offensive tackle Caedan Wallace with an early third-round draft pick on Day 2, but Middlehurst-Scwartz was not convinced Wallace would be the type of player that could be reliable in protecting the Patriots’ first-round quarterback, Drake Maye of North Carolina. He gave the Patriots a “C” grade for their pick of Wallace.

“[Patriots general manager] Eliot Wolf’s mission to reconfigure New England’s offense continues, as he turns his attention to the Patriots’ front,” Middlehurst-Scwartz said in his breakdown. “Wallace can handle some kind of role along the line, but serving as Drake Maye’s blindside protector seems like a stretch.”

He was a bit more optimistic about the Baltimore Ravens making the decision to draft Adisa Isaac late in the third round. Middlehurst-Schwartz gave the Ravens a “B+” with their selection of the Penn State edge rusher.

“It’s difficult to find pass rushers with premium traits beyond the first two rounds, but the 6-4, 247-pound Isaac boasts the frame and burst to ascend to a starting role,” Middlehurst-Schwartz said. “Though he needs more of a plan in his rushes, he could be an important part of the Ravens’ reloading effort on defense.”

You can see all of USA TODAY’s draft grades for every pick of the second and third rounds to see how your favorite NFL team did. You can also see all of the first-round draft grades, which were solid for the Jets drafting Olu Fashanu and the Dolphins selecting Chop Robinson.

Catch all of the latest updates from the NFL draft with USA TODAY’s live draft tracker. For a look at each Penn State draft prospect, be sure to check out our Penn State NFL draft tracker.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Penn State coach James Franklin surprises Chop Robinson at draft party

James Franklin managed to drive across Maryland with only seconds to spare to celebrate with Chop Robinson on Thursday night.

The Penn State Nittany Lions saw two of their players get picked in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. The New York Jets took offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu at No. 11 overall and the Miami Dolphins picked pass rusher Chop Robinson 10 selections later.

Penn State coach James Franklin was there to celebrate with both players.

While both are from the state of Maryland, it takes about an hour to make the drive from Fashanu’s hometown to Robinson’s. So Franklin barely made it in time for Robinson to get the phone call from the Dolphins and celebrate with the family.

A video posted by the Penn State football program shows Franklin burst through the front door while Robinson is already talking to Dolphins general manager Chris Grier.

While he was there to celebrate with Robinson in person, Franklin also went to social media to congratulate him.

Robinson began his collegiate career with the Maryland Terrapins before transferring to join Penn State in 2022. In his final season with the team, Robinson earned First Team All-Big Ten and Third Team All-American honors.

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How Penn State’s Chop Robinson fits with the Miami Dolphins

How will Chop Robinson from Penn State fit in with the Miami Dolphins?

The NFL draft’s first round has come and gone, and one of the most polarizing players expected to go on day one has found a home. Penn State edge rusher [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] was selected 21st overall by the Miami Dolphins, joining a talented edge group in South Beach.

Robinson has gotten varying evaluations during the draft process, but one thing every scout, analyst, and anyone with a working pair of eyes agrees on one thing: explosiveness. His first step as a pass rusher is generationally good, and he put that to good use as a Nittany Lion in his two years there.

His fit with the Dolphins is a bit of an awkward one, however, as they have two highly regarded pass rushers in Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. The caveat though is that both of them suffered season-ending injuries late in the season last year. Their status for week one is up in the air, so Robinson could have a big role early in his career.

The possibility of Robinson needing to play significant snaps early is a scary proposition, however. As talented as he is, he has a long way to go as a run defender and as an impact pass rusher. He lacks the strength and length to be stout against the run, and his pass-rush moves are very limited at this point in his development.

Once the starters return to action, his role as a third edge would be perfect for him. He can come in on third downs to add juice to Miami’s pass rush, both off the edge and even as a blitzer from the middle. He had reps lined up over guards and centers at Penn State that were very effective. However they choose to play him, it will be a ton of fun to watch.

Robinson going this high was a surprise, but the NFL has shown time and time again that athleticism and upside always win out over safer picks. For the Dolphins especially, they need to take big swings on high-upside players as they try and get over the hump in the playoffs. If Robinson can develop into a top-end rusher, he will be well worth the pick.

Chop Robinson wants to wear No. 44 with the Dolphins, but it’s taken

Chop Robinson says he’d like to wear No. 44 with the Dolphins, but that jersey has belonged to long snapper Blake Ferguson.

Chop Robinson wore No. 44 during his two seasons with the Penn State Nittany Lions. He’d like to wear it with the Miami Dolphins too.

“Of course 44, but I don’t know who has 44 or if it’s open, so I haven’t really looked at it yet,” Robinson told reporters, via Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel.

Just one problem: Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson has been the proud owner of No. 44 since he was picked by the team in the 2020 NFL draft.

So far, Ferguson hasn’t said anything about the possibility of handing the number over to the rookie. He did, however, celebrate the pick when it was made Thursday night.

Robinson didn’t sound particularly concerned about the possibility that he’d have to change numbers, though. He wore No. 4 during his one season with the Maryland Terrapins and he was Nos. 42 and 44 in high school.

Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou owns the No. 4 jersey. Maybe a return to No. 42, which is currently unclaimed, would interest Robinson. Either way, it doesn’t seem like a battle for No. 44 is on the way.

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Dolphins turned away ‘4 or 5 teams’ that wanted to trade for No. 21

The Dolphins had the option to trade down from No. 21, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk of possibly losing out on Chop Robinson.

The Miami Dolphins entered the 2024 NFL draft without third- or fourth-round selections, making the team an obvious candidate to trade back in the first round to recoup some mid-round value.

But when teams came calling for the No. 21 overall selection Thursday night, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier wasn’t interested.

“The phone calls all at that point were really coming into us about people trying to move up to our spot,” Grier said Thursday night. “We had about four or five teams that were trying to move into our spot and as the board kept falling to us, which we thought it would … we decided to stay where we were because the offers weren’t enticing enough for us to move.”

It’s anyone’s guess how much the Dolphins were offered for the No. 21 pick. Three selections after Miami took pass rusher Chop Robinson, the Detroit Lions traded up from No. 29 to No. 24 by making a deal that sent a third-rounder (No. 73 overall) to the Dallas Cowboys.

According to most trade value charts, that was a big price to pay to go up five spots in the first round and would’ve been fair compensation to send the Lions from No. 29 to No. 21.

It would make sense if the Dolphins were hypothetically offered the No. 73 selection to slide down eight spots in the order. And it would also be logical if Miami determined it was unlikely to end up with a player as good as Robinson by taking that deal.

Grier told reporters Thursday night that Robinson “was our targeted player.” So much so that other teams couldn’t convince the Dolphins to slide away from the No. 21 pick.

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WATCH: Chop Robinson learns he’s joining the Dolphins

Chop Robinson was pumped Thursday night when he found out he was joining the Dolphins.

There are always relatively awkward moments during the NFL draft when a player looks miserable learning which team he’s joining. It’s mostly due to television feed delays, like when Joe Alt stared into the void while ESPN talked about the Los Angeles Chargers picking him.

The Miami Dolphins didn’t have to worry about figuring out Chop Robinson was feeling when he became the No. 21 overall pick Thursday night. The former Penn State pass rusher’s excitement was palpable on both sides of the phone call.

“I feel like it’s a great fit for me,” Robinson told reporters later Thursday night. “I know it’s beautiful weather in Miami. I don’t know much about the city because I’ve never been that way, but I know I’ll have a great time there just enjoying with my teammates and being part of the team.”

So to answer Mike McDaniel’s question, yes, it sounds like Robinson is very OK with becoming the newest member of the Dolphins.

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20 best players available for Ravens on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft

Day One of the 2024 NFL draft is in the books, and it was a historic night. Six quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks, and 23 offensive players were selected, the most ever. Baltimore was able to land one of the top cornerbacks on the …

Day One of the 2024 NFL draft is in the books, and it was a historic night. Six quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks, and 23 offensive players were selected, the most ever.

Baltimore was able to land one of the top cornerbacks on the board without trading up.

Rounds two and three will play out on Friday night, and the Eagles will have two picks in Round 2 and none in Round 3.

Here is our list of the best players on the board during day two of the NFL draft.

Dolphins tried to trade for another 1st-round pick, says Chris Grier

Chris Grier says the Dolphins made an effort to trade back into the first round after picking Chop Robinson.

When the Miami Dolphins picked pass rusher Chop Robinson at No. 21 overall Thursday, general manager Chris Grier didn’t call it a night. He took a shot at putting together a trade for another pick in the first round.

“We were sitting there, there were a couple players at the end we were excited for, so we were active even trying to get back in to get another one here in the late first,” Grier said.

With the No. 55 pick in the second round as the only other top 150 selection still in the Dolphins’ arsenal after picking Robinson, it’s possible Miami dangled 2025 first- or second-round picks as trade bait in their effort to get another 2024 first-rounder.

Who would’ve been worth such an offer? Perhaps 6’8 offensive tackle Tyler Guyton who visited the Dolphins earlier this month before getting picked by the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Or speedy Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, who was reportedly “circled for Miami” by some teams, but instead landed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Unsurprisingly, Grier didn’t divulge which players kept him on the phones late into the night Thursday. Maybe one of those prospects is still on the board and the Dolphins will make an effort to climb early on Friday.

While many thought the Dolphins would aim to trade back in the first round and recoup the mid-round selections they’re missing, evidently that’s not the strategy Grier has in mind.

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Dolphins’ Chop Robinson says hand technique caused lack of production

How does a pass rusher as athletic as Chop Robinson only record nine sacks in two seasons? He explained Thursday night.

The Miami Dolphins’ newly drafted edge rusher Chop Robinson has been a top prospect for the past year, and ended up getting selected at No. 21 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

The former Nittany Lions lineman was an elite athlete, but the production didn’t always match his athletic profile. While at Penn State, Robinson totaled 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in two seasons.

His in-game stats may not have popped off the stat sheet, but he says he knows why he wasn’t a sack machine.

“It was just being inconsistent with my hands,” Robinson told reporters after he was drafted Thursday night. “I know I had the speed and the bend, but sometimes I forget to use my hands. But that’s something I’ve been working on this whole offseason, and I feel very confident because I’ve been working on this so much repeatedly, and I know it’s going to be natural when it comes time to put my hands to use.”

Despite his lack of production, Robinson tested at the top of his position at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He finished top two in the 40-yard dash (4.48 seconds), 10-yard split (1.54 seconds), 20-yard shuttle (4.25 seconds), and broad jump (128 inches).

With elite athleticism and room to improve technically, Robinson is happy with the situation he’s entering in Miami. He’ll soon join a group of edge rushers that includes Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Shaquil Barrett.

“I feel like that’s going to be a great situation for me – come in there, learn from those guys, compete every day, being able to take things from them and take it to my game and vice versa,” Robinson said. “It’ll be a great thing for me.”

The Dolphins hope it’ll be a great thing for them too and that his NFL production will match his athleticism.

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