Miami Dolphins newcomer Chop Robinson wished to land with the Dolphins before the team ultimately selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the No. 21 overall pick.
BREAKING: The Miami Dolphins select DE Chop Robinson out of Penn State with the No. 21 pick pic.twitter.com/0yQ11fKJz2
— Dolphin Nation (@Dolphin_Nation) April 26, 2024
.@chopyoungbull was calling for the @MiamiDolphins to come get him.
“I want somewhere warm, anyway.” #HeyRookie Draft Special: Tuesday 7pm ET on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/nqBNmmRDeB
— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2024
“I didn’t wanna pay them taxes anyway,” he said after the Los Angeles Rams passed on him. “… I need Miami. I need Miami. I want somewhere warm, anyway. Let Pitt get a corner and come get me, Miami, please.”
Robinson logged 10 games with Pennsylvania State University (better known as Penn State) in the 2023 campaign and finished with 12 solo tackles, three assists on tackles, 15 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks during his third and final season of college football.
The selection of Robinson marked the first time that the Dolphins made a pick in the opening round of the draft since 2021, when the team selected wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with the No. 6 overall pick and defender Jaelan Phillips with the No. 18 pick.
Waddle had a historic rookie season from a receiving standpoint during the 2021 regular season. He accumulated 104 receptions, the second-most by a first-year player in NFL history, standing now behind only Puka Nacua of the Rams. Waddle held the record before Nacua recently broke it.
On top of that, the speedster accumulated 1,015 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns and 59 first downs receiving in his maiden NFL season.
Phillips was also an important contributor during his rookie campaign. He played in all 17 of Miami’s games in the 2021 regular season (five starts) and totaled 42 combined tackles, 23 solo tackles, 19 assists on tackles, nine tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits. Impressively, he finished with 8.5 sacks.
Hopefully, Robinson will follow in the footsteps of two of Miami’s recent first-round picks in Phillips and Waddle and be able to make an impact with the Dolphins from the jump.
Considering the Dolphins’ play during the 2023 season, it makes sense that Miami opted to use its first-round pick on a defensive player, as the team seemingly has room for improvement on that side of the ball.
After all, Miami’s defense allowed 23.0 points per game in the regular season, which was the 11th-most of any team in the league and more than teams that missed out on the playoffs such as the New York Jets and New England Patriots.