While Aiden Hutchinson continues to rise among the NFL’s finest pass rushers, the Detroit Lions barnstormed to the Super Bowl last season. However, they may want to acquire the ideal complement to their young rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Lions’ pass-rush was far from stellar in the previous season; with just 41 sacks, it finished as the 10th-fewest in the league, with Hutchinson accounting for 11.5 of those sacks.
The Lions are in a great position to target Penn State’s Chop Robinson, one of the most potent pass-rushers in this year’s class, so assistance may be on the way.
Robinson transferred from the University of Maryland before to the 2022 season, and during the next two seasons in Happy Valley, his exceptional athleticism has been on full display.
Robinson recorded 31 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks in 22 games while wearing the Penn State uniform.
Robinson might be a perfect fit to line up opposite Hutchinson on the Lions’ defensive line, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller. In his most recent mock draft, Miller forecasts Robinson to be selected by the Lions with the 29th overall choice in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Miller writes, “The Lions stick to their board.” “That meant playing off-ball linebacker and running back in Round 1 in 2023. However, I believe Detroit is going for a premium spot this year. Robinson can get on offensive tackles as soon as the snap thanks to his lightning-fast (4.48 in the 40) and first-step quickness. Although he only had four sacks in his final season in college, his performance was modest, this is a wager on his potential and explosion. His skill set contrasts well with Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson shown the importance of having a top-tier pass-rusher, but the 49ers, Eagles, and other best teams in the league have shown that a strong pass-rush combination is one of the most important factors in determining a defense’s direction.
Robinson can be a problem for opposing offensive tackles and a game-changer in the pocket because of his exceptional get-off and bend off the edge.
Lance Zierlein of NFL Media describes Robinson as a “edge defender who offers the type of elite athleticism we’ve seen from players like Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett.” While Robinson isn’t quite as quick as Parsons, he’s still rather close. He has the explosiveness to quickly climb over opponents and overwhelm them since he is extremely twitchy.
But in order to play to his full potential against NFL tackles, he will need to improve his hand skills and attack angles. Robinson should be able to start in the NFL because of his explosive athleticism alone.
Robinson has added 61 quarterback pressures over the last three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, which also notes that the speedy edge rusher has an outstanding 92.3 pass-rush grade and 90.8 overall mark.
In the upcoming years, Robinson’s physical attributes and metrics could improve Detroit’s defense, which is already youthful and explosive.
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