Report: Seahawks schedule pre-draft visit with star Penn State pass rusher

Chop Robinson is considered one of the top pass rushers in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Seattle Seahawks have struggled to generate a consistent pass rush from their defensive front since Frank Clark was traded, and it’s certainly not been for lack of investment. As the Seahawks go through their official 30 visits* ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, they’re reportedly set to meet with one of the top defensive ends in this year’s class.

*- I’m giving up on the “top 30” moniker since it’s a silly misnomer. We’ll just roll with “official 30” visit or a “pre-draft visit” to avoid any confusion.

NFL insider Aaron Wilson reports that the Seahawks are among the several teams scheduled to have a formal visit with Penn State’s first-team All-Big Ten star Demeioun ‘Chop’ Robinson.

The first thing to point out with Robinson is that he was a combine standout and his Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is extremely impressive.

Having great athletic traits is obviously not in itself enough to make for a formidable NFL-level player. His 11.5 sacks over three college seasons (one at Maryland and two at Penn State) is hardly eye-opening, so why is he one of the top players on the consensus big board with a considerable chance to be drafted in the back-half of the first round? Here’s what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has to say about Chop:

While some pass rushers require a runway to build up speed, Robinson accelerates 0-to-60 in a blink, creating instant suddenness from his spot to shoot gaps or win races to the corner. He shows natural rush instincts and uses a variety of swats, swipes and dips to evade blocks, although his counters need further development.

He is a tough run defender but is slightly undersized and could use additional bulk to better match up with NFL blockers.

Pro Football Focus ranked Robinson 13th in college football in pass rush win rate (20.9%), which means he’s impacting the quarterback even without getting the sacks.

We have seen the likes of Odafe Oweh (Baltimore Ravens) and Trayvon Walker (Jacksonville Jaguars) get drafted in the first round—Walker, of course, went No. 1 overall—despite a lack of gaudy sack numbers. In Oweh’s case, he didn’t have a sack in his final year of college. Sacks can be volatile, but pressure rate and pass rush win rate tends to be a better indicator for the quality of an edge. Danielle Hunter is one of the NFL’s best edge rushers and he had 4.5 sacks in college.

As for Chop’s weaknesses? Here’s what the Big Blue View scouting report had to say.

Robinson is an elite athlete for the position, but he lacks the technical refinement to fully unlock his athletic upside.

As things stand now, Robinson’s hand usage is underdeveloped and haphazard. While he seems to want to use techniques like rip or club moves, his hands are unfocused and not crisp. He doesn’t really neutralize blockers hands and doesn’t cleanly defeat their blocks. That can slow his rushes and prevent him from capitalizing on his explosive first step.

Robinson also lacks ideal length compared to the NFL’s archetype for the position. That too can limit the advantage given to him by his impressive athleticism. Combined with his poor technique, blockers are often able to get their hands on him first despite his explosive first step.

This all reads to me that Robinson would be your classic super athlete whose game can be best described as “raw.” He’s not as refined as UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, but with the right coaching, as well as his own ability to improve upon his game and add to his skillset, he has the physical gifts to be a potentially special pro. This is also to say that he’s probably not going to be wowing right away as a rookie.

Watch his highlight reel below: