Obsession with pass-rushers led Dolphins to Chop Robinson at No. 21

MIAMI — Chris Grier learns from his scars.

The Miami Dolphins general manager saw how quickly a depleted pass rush can tank a season in 2023, when his team lost its top three pass-rushers (Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel) to season-ending injuries. So, he spent his first first-round pick since 2021 on Penn State pass-rusher Chop Robinson at No. 21 overall.

Grier told reporters Thursday that Robinson was the highest-rated player on their board at the time, and someone they’d been targeting since early in the draft process. But he also fills a position of need, particularly after the departures of Emmanuel Ogbah and Van Ginkel.

“I mean obviously you always look at your roster for what it is, but for us it was, like we’ve talked about, just adding the best players in the draft at that point,” Grier said. “He was rated as one of the top players in this draft for us, so adding him, especially rushing the passer in this league with all the great quarterbacks and the skill, the ability to rush with four and not have to blitz every down and stuff, that creates an advantage for the defense.

“So for us, he was a player that we had in high regard with high grades, for us to add him, we were again very excited to have him.”

Robinson’s explosive physical traits lend a comparison to another recent pass-rusher out of Penn State — the Dallas Cowboys‘ Micah Parsons.

Robinson ran a 4.48 40-yard dash — the second-fastest time among his position group in this year’s draft class (Parsons ran a 4.36). But despite his athleticism, he only recorded 11.5 sacks in three collegiate seasons at Penn State and Maryland.

The Dolphins’ draftee addressed his lack of production right away after his selection.

“For me, it was just being inconsistent with my hands,” Robinson said. “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.”

Miami’s coaching staff and front office believe they can fix Robinson’s inconsistencies, and when they do, that his physical traits will make him a force in the league.

The Dolphins also see past his sack numbers, as his 18% pressure rate ranked sixth in FBS last season. That, they say, stands out to them more than how often he brings the quarterback down.

“For us, [sacks are] an important part, but we’ve always talked about the ability to disrupt the passer,” Grier said. “His disruption numbers are all very high. For us, working through the analytics, watching him and what he does and contributes, sacks people always want to — the guy that comes to mind for me would be Danielle Hunter (who) had four career sacks coming out of college, and he’s become a really good player in this league.

“I’m not putting that pressure on him to be Danielle Hunter … [Robinson] has things he has to work on. He knows that. And the exciting part is the kid, and who he is, his work ethic, how much he loves ball and his toughness. We’re excited to work with him and we think he has a really good chance to be a really good player.”

Robinson joins a pass-rush rotation that features Phillips, Chubb and offseason acquisition Shaquil Barrett. Phillips and Chubb each suffered season-ending injuries last season and the Dolphins have not yet publicly stated whether either or both would be ready for the start of the 2024 season.

Both Phillips and Chubb have reached out to Robinson to welcome him to the team, he said, and he looks forward to joining what he called “a great situation” in Miami.

Robinson added that although he hasn’t spent much time with Dolphins’ first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, there are similarities between how he was used at Penn State and how he believes Weaver will run his defense this season.

“We haven’t talked much about it, but I know the defense he uses is the same thing we used at Penn State with putting me at nose tackle, on the edge,” Robinson said. “So I feel like that’s a good thing for me because I’m kind of familiar with already doing that, so it’ll be second nature when I’m able to go out there and do it.”

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel teased that Robinson’s role won’t necessarily be limited to rotational or situational.

Playing in a conference with star quarterbacks Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, among others, the Dolphins will get creative with how they rush the passer this season.

“All scenarios are alive,” McDaniel said. “I think it’s key to remember, man that team, ‘They just had too many pass-rushers, that was their problem,’ that’s never been said. So I think that’s 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 [thinking] outside the box, so he might be playing corner, who knows?”