The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs ought to proceed to search out methods to bolster their cross rush on this yr’s NFL Draft. Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson is a dynamic athlete and a high-level cross rusher from the sting.
Robinson is without doubt one of the extra distinctive abilities on this yr’s draft class, and it could be value it for the Chiefs to maneuver up and choose him.
Intangibles
Robinson examined at an elite degree on the NFL Scouting Mix, exhibiting that his explosive pass-rush skill was no mirage.
Operating the second-fastest 40-yard sprint time of any edge prospect at 4.48 seconds confirmed off his athletic skill, however having the quickest ten-yard cut up among the many edge group confirmed why his first step was feared in school soccer.
Good leaping numbers additional proved his explosion. Whereas he’s barely undersized for the place, he made up for it with lengthy arms.
Being a lighter and smaller prospect could have knocked down his Relative Athletic Rating, nevertheless it helped him to win one-on-one cross rush matchups.
Explosion and bend
Robinson can exit of a 4-point stance with each fingers within the floor or out of a 2-point stance strolling up the road of scrimmage.
The flexibility to hurry from each stances helps give him an aura of unpredictability. On lengthy pass-rushing downs, groups typically align a decent finish to his facet or assign a operating again to assist chip block.
Even with the additional assist, this didn’t at all times work.
Chop Robinson has a TE aligned to the within of him right here to “assist” widen his rush angle. On the snap, Robinson explodes upfield and the LT cannot even get a hand on him. Ridiculous first step and velocity off the sting. pic.twitter.com/r8Eq4gfRwb
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) March 9, 2024
Robinson is lined up outdoors of a decent finish on the snap. The tight finish goes out in a cross sample, however his alignment makes Robinson take a wider path to the quarterback and permits the sort out extra time to get right into a cross set.
On the snap, Robinson blows previous the tight finish and sort out whereas taking his path to the quarterback. In a single easy movement, he dips, bends the arc and hits the quarterback onerous simply because the ball is launched.
Robinson made this play as a traditional edge place lined up large, however he can also tighten up and put his hand within the dust.
Chop Robinson’s explosion off the ball and talent to bend the arc is subsequent degree. He leaves the LT within the mud, after which dips and bends to work his option to the quarterback. Does job of knocking the fingers down as effectively. pic.twitter.com/hnNOlSkeI1
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) March 8, 2024
Utilizing a considerably slender stance helps Robinson create an explosion out of his stance, and the left sort out is taken off guard by how briskly he’s off the ball.
The sort out is late out of his stance and appears to lunge and get his fingers on the lighter Robinson. When the sort out raises his fingers, Robinson knocks them away and continues to bend the arc. In a single easy movement, Robinson dips low and lays a blindside hit on the quarterback, who fumbles the soccer.
It’s one factor to get to the quarterback however one other to get the soccer out. Robinson pressured three fumbles in his profession at Penn State, primarily due to his skill to take quarterbacks without warning with how shortly he enters the backfield.
It might be simple to pin Robinson as a traditional pass-rush specialist, however the movie tells a distinct story.
Energy potential
Regardless of his mild body, Robinson performs with a number of energy and might use his measurement to his benefit whereas creating leverage to maneuver bigger gamers into the pocket.
Chop Robinson is extra than simply an edge rusher. He shocks the C right here with how a lot power he creates off the snap and makes use of his leverage and size to explode the pocket and power the sack. pic.twitter.com/qBaobrOXYn
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) March 8, 2024
Penn State strains up, exhibiting simulated strain, and Robinson is head-up over the middle. This forces Iowa into an enormous safety, which implies Robinson is about to have a one-on-one.
On the snap, the middle squares as much as Robinson, anticipating a fast rush. Robinson surprises him by throwing two fingers into his chest and strolling the middle into the backfield. With strain off the sting and Robinson crushing the pocket from the center, the quarterback has nowhere to go.
Benefiting from his leverage and pure bend, Robinson can work angles that tackles can have a tough time attending to and assault them at totally different ranges. After every week of preparation for setting large and taking away the arc bending skill, he did an awesome job of getting low and delivering contact.
I really feel like Chop Robinson’s energy is being neglected. As a lighter finish, he makes use of the explosion off the ball to ship power into OTs and drive them into the backfield when they’re anticipating his velocity rush. Nice counter to stay unpredictable. pic.twitter.com/rWoDGDxK3k
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) March 13, 2024
On the snap, Robinson fires out of his stance low and builds up velocity. The left sort out shortly units to the skin, anticipating to see the bend, however Robinson stuns him with the bull rush, successful the within hand battle and crushing the pocket.
He drives the sort out into the quarterback’s hip, forcing a nasty cross and leading to an incomplete cross.
Robinson makes use of his first step and talent to bend the arc to impress the NFL, however his energy exhibits a participant with a a lot increased ceiling.
Match with the Chiefs
Robinson will seemingly be an early to mid-round first-round choice. His athletic prowess and potential to proceed to enhance his recreation are too nice for him to be handed over for a rare period of time.
The Chiefs would seemingly should commerce up for his abilities, however it could be value it.
Though he doesn’t match lots of the “regular standards” that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has seemed for in defensive ends up to now, taking a participant like Robinson would additional present Spagnuolo’s willingness to adapt sure elements of his protection to the trendy recreation.
This season, specifically, the Chiefs ran a number of defensive fronts, utilizing odd and even alignments for the entrance seven. A participant like Robinson is constructed for these hybrid fronts, and his versatility would permit him to attempt within the managed chaos that Spagnuolo creates.
He would seemingly not begin his profession as an every-down participant, however he could be allowed to compete for snaps because the season progressed and develop below Joe Cullen’s tutelage.
Buying and selling up could be value it for the Chiefs on this situation. They might add one other cross rusher with a capability that might be distinctive to their roster whereas beginning to develop their subsequent wave of defensive playmakers.