Could Chop Robinson Be Another Of Jason Licht’s “Freaks?”?
April 24th, 2024
Penn State edge Chop Robinson.
Look, Joe will be OK with Chop Robinson if that’s who Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht selects tomorrow night in the first round.
Robinson wouldn’t be Joe’s pick because Joe is spooked by Robinson’s lack of production. He’s the J.J. McCarthy of edge rushers. Where’s the beef?
If Robinson is this good, why couldn’t he get sacks in college? It’s not like the talent level in the NFL will be easier than the B1G.
Maybe because Joe is fully worn down by mock drafts to the point of barfing, perhaps Joe suffers from a bout of the NFL draft version of Stockholm Syndrome. Joe has read Robinson being mocked to the Bucs so much that Joe is starting to succumb.
Though Joe is a bit more open to Robinson than a month ago, Joe would still prefer Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse or Johnny Newton.
Another factor for Joe is the James Franklin Effect. The Penn State coach is just miserable in how he uses/misuses his players. Look at all the NFL talent that has come out of Penn State in recent years and what has Franklin done with that talent?
In several cases, Penn State players blow up when they get away from Franklin’s clutches. Hell, even Sean Clifford the Big Blue Dog, who was positively horrible at Penn State, is collecting a check from the Packers in the NFL.
Robinson getting coaching for a change? Well, there’s hope when he left Frankin’s clutches.
In the process of rethinking Robinson to the Bucs, Joe noticed that Jenna Laine of ESPN selected Robinson in her network’s mock draft. Laine explained she preferred several other players for Tampa Bay but they were off the board for the Bucs at No. 26 pick.
Laine added one reason Licht would pick Robinson is because he is a superior athlete.
Then the lightbulb went off in Joe’s head. Joe made a mental note last year that Licht likes to draft defensive front-seven dudes who make Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” in The Athletic.
This list of Feldman’s is his attempt to find the top-100 freakish athletes in college football. This list appears each summer just before the football season begins.
In 2022, Feldman had Logan Hall at No. 54.
In 2023, Licht drafted two front-seven guys on Feldman’s “Freaks List.” That would be Calijah Kancey (No. 9) and YaYa Diaby (No. 85).
So when Laine mentioned how superior of an athlete Robinson is, and Joe knew Robinson blew up the combine, Joe decided to check Feldman’s “Freaks List” from last summer. Sure enough, there is Robinson at No. 9.
(For those curious in 2019, Feldman’s No. 1 freak was Tristan Wirfs.)
So if Licht holds to a pattern of how he likes athletic freaks in his defensive front-seven, Robinson is very much on the radar for Thursday night.
So this was interesting for me. Latu went at 8. Turner 12. Murphy 18. Verse 19. Powers-Johnson 20. Newton 21. Barton 24. DeJean 25. I think the Bucs would trade down here. But I couldn’t. And what if the Bucs can’t find a willing trade partner either? pic.twitter.com/w7GI0hUboX
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) April 23, 2024
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April 24th, 2024 at 7:11 am
Aw crap. I just spewed my Bloody Mary all over the vodka bottle. LOL.
Schlop Robinson would make JTS look like Lawrence Taylor, and Licht surely won’t think he’ll be coached up by the Bucs theoretical metaphysicist head coich.
Just keep drinking, everyone.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:15 am
Joe just about has me convinced that when Chop leaves Penn state he could blow up, maybe he’ll be the second coming of Micah Parsons. That’s what my heart tells me. On the other hand my head says go with the sure thing and trade back a few spots, scoop up Johnny Newton. Pair him with Calijah Kancey for the next decade.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:19 am
NO! Trade down if Chop is the “best” player available…..
April 24th, 2024 at 7:29 am
Just say no.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:35 am
Chop = JTS. No thanks.
Turner,Latu and Verse are the first choices. JPJ or Barton are second options. If all of the above are gone then Frazier, Thomas (WR) or trade back. DT is also an option if you can’t find a partner to trade back with in the 2nd round. Don’t reach in the 1st round. Chop is a reach.
No CB, QB, TE, RB, S, K or P in the first round.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:38 am
You never know. But I don’t see our Bucs goin for Chop in the 1st. And the very top 3 pass rushers will be long gone by our pick. Bucs definitely need a premier rusher from somewhere. Chop looks like a project though.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:42 am
I dunno….. I smell another JTS. We shall see. I’m not gonna jump off a building if we draft Chop, but he is one of the few “don’t wants” I have on my list. Another is Kool Ade.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:44 am
Lack of sacks against players who will never play in the NFL, then Shazam !
He turns into a sack wizard in the NFL.
Not a good use for the Bucs this year.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:45 am
Freak Boom Bust Comparison
Yaya – Boom
CK – Boom
Hall – Bust
JTS – Bust
Wirfs – Boom
Boom:Bust 3:2
What do you know? It’s a crap shoot. The wins are Pro Bowl caliber booms. At 26, it’s a worth the risk.
April 24th, 2024 at 7:46 am
I might use a “Chop stick” but It wouldn’t be proper etiquette in the first round. Trade down and get another second round pick and maybe we’ll talk.
It just sounds risky to me. JTS 2 risky….
Then again after Sean Sullivan’s description in last night’s podcast that one big hit on Latu could end his career, I hope the Bucs do a lot of medical research before making that pic if he is available. That scares me as well, particularly after losing Ryan Jensen for the rest of his career last year.
April 24th, 2024 at 8:00 am
All this freak athlete garbage is gambling. The Bucs need help right now, not players that didn’t produce in college. JTS and Logan Hall are 2 examples of players who didn’t have solid college careers and look what they are now, average in Hall and sub-par in JTS.
Just draft guys that can play good football right away and showed in their junior
and senior years in college that the dominated their opponents.
If you want edge rushers, draft players that actually took down quarterbacks. Any edge rusher that had less than 5 sacks, pass.
If you want to use late round picks on “potential”, fine but with the top 100 players picked, go with production instead of freak.
April 24th, 2024 at 8:05 am
I would rather have someone safer but at 26 all the safe picks will be gone
April 24th, 2024 at 8:05 am
They more I read the threads on this here site from more and more “pundits” about Chop being a bust, the more I now think he’ll have 10+ sacks his rookie year!
April 24th, 2024 at 8:09 am
plz God no.
April 24th, 2024 at 8:17 am
If the man is an athletic freak, I trust the bucs can teach him a thing or two. I still have hope for jts
April 24th, 2024 at 8:18 am
Get edge Chris Braswell in the 2nd. Last year had 8 sacks, 3 FF, 1 INT, 1 blocked kick – in the SEC. And he plays on the left side.
April 24th, 2024 at 8:22 am
Waited for weeks for the draft. Now that its nearly here it has a good chance of being the most anti-climatic moment of the year.
Like others i’d rather trade back than take Chop or Kool aid
April 24th, 2024 at 8:26 am
Joe, publish the freak list
April 24th, 2024 at 8:27 am
Chop look like Tarzan play like Jane. We already have two of those gals in Tryon-Stinko and Lacie Hall.
I want Latu!
April 24th, 2024 at 8:35 am
Package a 3rd and try to move up to get Verse if he is in reach!
April 24th, 2024 at 8:38 am
Word things happen every year on draft day. Bucs fans usually don’t have the intel Bucs have so we don’t know who the best player is a Kancey is the classic example. Don’t get butt when the player you want doesn’t get drafted
April 24th, 2024 at 8:43 am
Half his highlights are pressuring but missing sacks and cleaning up tackles his teammates have made.
He’s not worth a 1st round pick. 3rd? Sure. Not first though.
April 24th, 2024 at 8:49 am
My son had him on a video chat a few weeks ago he thinks he’s going to the giants
April 24th, 2024 at 9:01 am
With a late 1st rd pick, we need an immediate contributor. Licht should stick to his strengths….o-line, WR, LB and CB. He’s shown ability to consistently find quality starters at those positions and we need help in those areas. The objective is to get solid starters, not multi-yr projects like JTS. Make the offense more effective and your defense will benefit, particularly with Bowles play calling with a lead. Makes no sense to to draft someone high to develop when you’re trying to be a legit playoff team. At 26 a quality WR or OL will be there….my preference is a dominant center or guard if available.
April 24th, 2024 at 9:27 am
That’s cool for your son — to have him on a video chat.
April 24th, 2024 at 9:50 am
The more I watch Robinson, the more I like him. He shouldn’t have been a full time hand in the dirt guy. I think he could be way more versatile as an OLB/Rush End.
If you were in love with Hassan Reddick, you should probably be in love with Chop Robinson too.
April 24th, 2024 at 10:12 am
Can’t. Don’t have permission to publish the full list. That’s against Fair Use doctrine (Joe just can’t publish someone’s full article). Just Google “Bruce Feldman Freaks List” with the year you are looking for and it will pop up.
April 24th, 2024 at 11:21 am
Stick with your instincts joe. I don’t think we need a project or a ‘freak athlete’. We already have one. No sir, what We need is solid, consistent production.
April 24th, 2024 at 1:12 pm
Best player available….no excuses, no explanations!!!!!
April 24th, 2024 at 2:34 pm
Only thing good about Chop Robinson is his name. Need a pure CENTER and lots of help along the O line.
April 24th, 2024 at 2:50 pm
IMPO- 3 strikes and your out, chop will get you fired. JTS x Hall x Chop x
I can’t imagine this kid being any good in the NFL if he was unproductive in college. Something is off, his mental state or his efforts, maybe he doesn’t love football as much as he should. This kid should have had 12 sacks his senior year, big red flag. No way should any team take him in the first round or the second for that matter.
April 24th, 2024 at 3:03 pm
Penn State saw enough of him to bring him over from Maryland. In 2023 P.S gave up 24 points twice, 20 once and the rest of the time were either close to 10 or close to a shut out so they know defense. If his sacks are outside the pocket then he’s doing a good job and not letting the QB out around his corner.
He was only a Junior and if he is on Lichts Draft Board he is on a few more. Playing his Senior Year against some monsters will give him enough experience where he could really flourish in year two.
April 24th, 2024 at 3:15 pm
That ESPN draft is worst case scenario and it’s plausible. I assume Thomas Jr was also gone. Would love a trade back in that spot and from what I read this morning seems teams are looking to move up for the OT they like but that could be pre pick 26 as well. Thank god this thing is actually happening tomorrow.
April 24th, 2024 at 3:26 pm
I get that everyone is spooked by Joe Tryon because it seems we reached for him and he hasn’t lived up to the late 1st round pick we used on him but I don’t think it’s fair to say Chop=JTS. Chop seems to have a different body type and is much quicker than JTS was coming out of college. Chop is more compact and has more of a burst off the line. JTS seems like a lankier player, he ran a 4.78 40 time and didn’t have the experience Chop has. JTS had more production yes but not as many FF as chop. It’s difficult to grade edge rushers, probably the toughest position to hit on in the draft.
April 24th, 2024 at 5:54 pm
Maybe it’s NFL draft derangement syndrome:)
April 24th, 2024 at 7:43 pm
Keep seeing his name to the Bucs……please no
April 24th, 2024 at 11:00 pm
People are down on chop Robinson because of his lack of sacks. I get it. But let’s not pretend he doesn’t jump off the tape when you watch him. We all know how valuable a young, dominant edge rusher is. If we pass on Chop and he becomes the next Myles Garrett I will be….. forever smh