Dane Brugler:
4. CHOP ROBINSON | Penn State 6027 | 254 lbs. | 3JR Gaithersburg, Md. (Quince Orchard) 1/2/2003 (age 21.31) #44
BACKGROUND: Demeioun “Chop” Robinson, one of eight children, grew up in Germantown, Md. (25 miles north of Washington, D.C.). Weighing 14 pounds at birth, his family and friends called him “Pork Chop,” because of his size — later shortened to “Chop” when he started to slim down in middle school. Robinson was introduced to football by his father (John) and started playing in Little League. He often played on the defensive line throughout youth football, sometimes at nose tackle, because of his size and initial quickness. When he was a freshman in high school, his older brother (Arthur “A-Rod” Johnson) died, and that tragedy fueled Robinson’s desire to be great on the football field and stay out of trouble. Johnson was the second of Robinson’s siblings to pass away — he lost his sister when he was in first grade. Robinson enrolled at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, where he was a three-year letterman on defense. He became a starting pass rusher midway through his sophomore season and helped lead Quince Orchard to a 13-1 record and the 2018 state championship. As a junior, Robinson led the program to a 12-1record and back-to-back regional titles (only loss came in the state playoff semifinals). He finished the 2019 season with 85 tackles, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception, six blocked kicks and a returned onside kick for a touchdown — numbers that earned him All-Metro honors. The 2020 season was postponed because of the pandemic, and Quince Orchard played three games in the spring of 2021. Robinson, who finished as the school’s all-time sacks leader, was tabbed the Quince Orchard 2021 Boys Athlete of the Year and was invited to the All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-American Game. A four-star recruit, Robinson was the No. 4 edge rusher in the 2021 recruiting class (Alabama’s Dallas Turner was No. 1), the No. 3 recruit in Maryland and the No. 68recruit nationally. As a sophomore, Robinson received his first college offer, from Division II Shepherd College. His first FBS offer (Rutgers) followed. In the spring of2019, he added offers from Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M. After his productive junior season, several he ad coaches (including former Alabama coach Nick Saban) stopped by the Quince Orchard campus to see him. His final decision came down to Georgia, Maryland and Penn State. He committed to the Terrapins after watching local players like Stefon Diggs and Yannick Ngakoue stay home and star at Maryland before productive NFL careers. After he committed, his first text message was to local quarterback Caleb Williams to convince him to stay home and play at Maryland (Williams ultimately signed with Oklahoma).Robinson was the highest-ranked recruit in head coach Mike Locksley’s 2021 class. He played predominantly as a dropping linebacker his freshman season at Maryland and felt out of position not being able to rush the passer, which led to his decision to enter the transfer portal in March 2022. Robinson considered Oregon and USC, but he already had a strong connection with Penn State coach James Franklin, who promised him the chance to play defensive end. He transferred to Penn State in June 2022. His older brother (Dejon Robinson) played defensive tackle at Quince Orchard before attending ASA Junior College in 2020. Chop Robinson elected to skip the 2023 bowl game and his senior season to enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2021: (13/1) 19 2.5 2.0 0 0 0 Maryland; Enrolled in July 2021
2022: (12/0) 26 10.0 5.5 1 2 0 Penn State; Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
2023: (10/10) 15 7.5 4.0 2 1 0 Penn State; First Team All-Big Ten; Missed two games (concussion); Missed bowl game (opt-out); Team MVP
Total: (35/11) 60 20.0 11.5 3 3 0 HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6027 254 9 1/8 32 1/2 76 1/4 4.48 2.60 1.53 34 1/2 10’8” 4.25 - - (no 3-cone or bench — choice)
PRO DAY - 255 - - - - - - - - - 7.01 - (stood on combine; 3-cone only — choice)
STRENGTHS: Exceptional get-off quickness to win at the snap … upfield burst sustains through second, third and fourth strides, allowing him to dip inside shoulder, corner and flatten to the quarterback … nimble-footed and displays the lateral quickness to cross the face of blockers without resistance … uses athletic maneuverability when lined up over the guard or center to slip blocks and find the ball in the gap … creates forward lean/momentum and slams both hands into blockers to create speed-to-power rush … active hands help free himself from blocks … extends reach with bent knees at the point of attack to create leverage as an edge setter … able to stop on a dime and find balance as a tackler to pounce and finish … athleticism translates well when dropping into coverage zones … didn’t take long for him to become a team leader after transferring to State College … ranked top 10 in the FBS in pass rush win percentage (20.8 percent) in 2023 … was named Penn State’s co-MVP (with Olu Fashanu) in 2023.
WEAKNESSES: Lean-muscled body type and doesn’t have ideal armor on his frame … doesn’t have the raw power to create an effective bull rush without a few steps of momentum … can be steered past the pocket because of average body strength … will be driven from his spot in the run game and will be challenged by wham/mash blocks in the NFL … missed two games as a junior because of concussion symptoms (November 2023) … modest volume production (averaged less than two tackles per game in his career) … only one season as a full-time starter and was part of a rotation (averaged 30.3 defensive snaps per game in 2023).
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Penn State, Robinson was a wide-aligned pass rusher in former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s scheme, standing up and rushing with his hand on the ground. After one season at Maryland, he transferred to Penn State (partly because he wanted to remain a pass rusher instead of moving to linebacker) and was one of the most disruptive players in the country (42.7 percent of his tackles the past two seasons came in the backfield). While some pass rushers require a runway to build up speed, Robinson accelerates 0-to-60 in a blink, creating instant suddenness from his spot to shoot gaps or win races to the corner. He shows natural rush instincts and uses a variety of swats, swipes and dips to evade blocks, although his counters need further development. He is a tougher run defender than expected, but he is slightly undersized and could use additional bulk to better match up with NFL blockers. Overall, Robinson needs to continue developing to prove he isn’t a one-trick pony, but his first-step explosiveness and aggressive hands give him the potential to be the most dynamic pass rusher in this class. He is ideally suited as a wide-nine defender who can be schemed across the front.
GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (No. 26 overall)
. Does this kind of strategy seem like the dude is worried about his job?