Dolphins fielded trade calls but decided at stay at No. 21 and draft Chop Robinson

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins got the pass rushing help they needed when they selected Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson with the 21st pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft..

Robinson (6-3, 254) can play inside or outside although he’s mostly a pass rushing specialist from the outside who can play standing up or with his hand in the dirt.

“It’s some of the versatility we liked,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said.

Selecting Robinson could have been considered as a bit of a tough choice because of who else was available.

The Dolphins could have selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton and Duke center/guard Graham Barton.

If they wanted the best player available they could have selected Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who went No. 22 to Philadelphia.

The Dolphins also could have selected Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy with the No. 21 pick.

Robinson only had 11.5 sacks in college between Maryland and Penn State. The Dolphins reiterated, once again, that sacks numbers don’t tell the whole story, that Robinson was disruptive in the passing game.

“We’ve always talked about the ability to disrupt the passer, and his disruption numbers are all very high,” Grier said.

There were trade possibilities for the Dolphins, including trading down.

“We had about four or five teams trying to move into our spot,” Grier said, adding that the draft board kept falling Miami’s way and “at that point we decided to stay where we were because the offers weren’t enticing enough for us to move.”

Grier said Miami wasn’t considering trading up.

“There were multiple players there that we liked at 21,” he said.

Grier said he wasn’t surprised that the first round included six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks and 14 consecutive offensive players.

“It’s like everything, you do your homework and you talk to a bunch of people,” he said. “We had a pretty good idea that five (quarterbacks) were going to go before our pick, and we were told there was a possibility of six so we were kind of working through it.

“So when you do your homework and work through people, and even just digging through our own analytics and going through everything, for us it wasn’t really surprised.”

Grier has had a nice draft record in the top rounds in the past few years.

The Dolphins’ chances of drafting a defensive player seemed to increase midway through the first round because the first 14 picks were offensive players. 

Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse, who fit the Dolphins’ needs, went at No. 19 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Then, Washington offensive tackle Troy Fantanu, who also fit the Dolphins’ needs, went No. 20 to Pittsburgh.

The Dolphins’ last seven first-round picks are wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in 2021, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, right tackle Austin Jackson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene in 2020, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins in 2019, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2018.

That’s quite a collection of talent.

Six of them, all except Igbinoghene, are quality players, and Fitzpatrick, who has played most of his career for Pittsburgh, has been a three-time All Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection.

Grier has been in charge of the draft since 2016, when Miami selected offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in the first round, cornerback Xavien Howard in the second round and running back Kenyan Drake in the third round along with wide receiver/return man Jakeem Grant in the sixth round.

But the Dolphins’ first selections of the past two drafts — cornerback Cam Smith, a 2023 second-round pick, and linebacker Channing Tindall, the 2022 third-round pick — have been disappointments early in their careers.

Fortunately for Grier, running back De’Von Achane, the 2023 third-round pick, had a good rookie season.

As for the Dolphins’ first-round needs in this draft:

— The Dolphins needed an edge rusher because returning starters Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (knee) are rehabbing injuries, and Andrew Van Ginkel departed in free agency;

— The Dolphins need a defensive tackle because Christian Wilkins departed in free agency;

— The Dolphins need an interior offensive lineman because center Connor Williams (free agent/knee injury) might not return. Among interior offensive linemen Miami has newly-signed center/guard Aaron Brewer and returnees Liam Eichenberg, who started at center and guard last season, Robert Jones, who started five games at guard last season, and Lester Cotton, who started eight games at guard last season;

— The Dolphins need an offensive tackle because Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead is likely playing his final season after considering retirement this offseason, and if this is like previous seasons he might only make around 10-12 regular season starts due to injury.

The Robinson selection might not seem to be a natural pick for coach Mike McDaniel, who is offensive-minded. But he’s said in the past edge rusher is his favorite position.

“The cool thing about the opportunity that we had at that pick is that if you have a player contribute in pass rush, those are things that you feel very fortunate to not pass up,” McDaniel said. 

“As passing games become more and more of a focus, those players are really a big part of the driving force of your defense.”