After two dominant seasons in Happy Valley, Chop Robinson left for the NFL and was selected 21st overall by the Miami Dolphins last spring. Now, the former Nittany Lion is a finalist for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after appearing in all 17 games for the Dolphins.
Robinson dealt with injuries in his final year at Penn State, but his athletic potential was too tantalizing for NFL teams to pass up, and in the NFL he quickly became a key and reliable piece of Miami’s defense. An injury to Jaelan Phillips, another former first-round pick at defensive end, cleared the way for Robinson to play 565 defensive snaps and rack up six sacks, 26 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 56 quarterback pressures.
His first career sack didn’t come until a Week 9 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Then, he added another the next week against the Los Angeles Rams and recorded five more from Week 12 to Week 16. Robinson recorded just three sacks in 2023 at Penn State and five in 2022, his first season after transferring from Maryland.
In 2021, former Nittany Lion Micah Parsons was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year for his remarkable first season with the Dallas Cowboys. Saquon Barkley also won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, as did Franco Harris in 1972 and former Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan was the first Nittany Lions to win DROY back in 1987 with the Buffalo Bills.
Will Chop Robinson win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?
The honest answer is: no. It was great for Robinson to be named a finalist, but the award is almost certainly headed to Los Angeles Rams rookie edge rusher Jared Verse. Verse’s teammate Braden Fiske is also a finalist along with two Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
This DROY race was also going to be an interesting one because the first defensive player didn’t come off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft until UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu was selected by the Indianapolis Colts at No. 15 overall. At No. 21, Robinson was the fifth-highest-drafted defensive player.