NFL Draft 2024: With 21st pick, Miami Dolphins select LB Chop Robinson
MIAMI - With the 21st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Chop Robinson, LB, out of Penn State on Thursday night.
General manager Chris Grier used his first opening-round pick since 2021 to bolster a defense that saw a mass exodus of talent this spring. Robinson figures to immediately fill a need for new Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver with his first-step quickness and athleticism.
Robinson, who is 6-foot-3, 254 pounds, had 60 tackles, 11 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles over three college seasons.
The Dolphins have tried to address some of their losses on defense since the start of free agency. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, safety Brandon Jones and others signed free agent deals elsewhere, and veteran Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker were cut.
Robinson could get playing time immediately. The Dolphins could start the season without standout edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, who are both recovering from significant injuries.
The Dolphins will select again on Friday and Saturday. Miami has a second-round pick on Friday and four more picks on Saturday, for a total of six picks.
Here is a detailed look at the selections they have over the next three days:
On day two, the Fins have a second-round pick with number 55 overall.
Then, they have two of the top 55 choices and as it stands they will have another pick in the fifth round, that is pick number 158.
They have two picks in the 6th round, numbers 184 and 198 and rounding things off, they have the seventh-round pick at 241st.
What's the format of the NFL draft and how many total rounds and picks are there?
The draft order is determined by the highest draft picks going to the teams with the worst records. The order of picks can change with potential trades. This year's first-overall pick goes to the Chicago Bears. Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs pick last.
Each team has 10 minutes to make their pick in the first round. There are a total of seven rounds with over 250 picks involving the 32 teams. In the later rounds, teams will have less time to make their picks.
The Dolphins Training Facility is the team's headquarters on draft weekend. The first NFL draft took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on February 8, 1936. Ninety names were written on a blackboard in the meeting room from which the teams would choose.
New York City held the draft for 50 straight years and then it has moved to different locations since then to accommodate cities that don't normally host Super Bowls.
This year's draft will be held in the Motor City - Detroit, Michigan. Next year's draft will be in Green Bay, the home of the Packers.
The NFL Invites some of top players in college football to attend. All of them will hit the red carpet dressed to impress and then await their fate in the green room.
Every team has a table set up at the draft venue called selection square, where team representatives stay in constant contact with executives at each club's headquarters.
How does the process work when a team makes their picks?
Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier, head coach Mike McDaniel, and owner Stephen Ross, along with staff, will be at the Dolphins Training Facility. When a team decides on a selection, it communicates the player's name from its draft room to the draft site. The team representative then writes the selection on a draft card and submits it to an NFL staff member known as a runner. The runner then notifies that the selection has been made.
Upon receiving the card, the first runner immediately radios the selection to an NFL player personnel representative, who inputs the player's name into a database that notifies all clubs of the pick.
The runner also walks the card to the head table, where it reviews the name for accuracy and records the pick. He then shares the name with the NFL's commissioner to announce the pick.
The Dolphins have had some legendary draft picks in their history.
Miami's first-round selection of the 1983 draft was none other than Dan Marino with the 27th pick overall.
Marino is a Dolphins Hall of Famer and one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. In 2020, Dolphins selected quarterback Tua Tagovailoa 5th overall.
Let's not forget some of the members of the 1972 perfect team.
Quarterback Bob Griese was selected by the Dolphins in the fourth overall pick in 1967 from Purdue and In 1968 the Dolphins selected Syracuse running back Larry Csonka with the eighth overall pick.
Not to mention two other Dolphin Hall of Famers.
Defensive lineman Jason Taylor was selected in the 3rd round of the 1997 draft and linebacker Zach Thomas was selected in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL draft.
Thanks for joining our class on NFL Draft 101. We hope you learn more about the draft and it helps you get ready for this big event.
Post-NFL Draft Show
Don't forget to watch our Dolphins Draft 2024 Show/
When: 7:30 p.m Saturday, April 27th.
The players showed up to get picked. Now, it's time for them to show out!
Join Mike Cugno and the CBS Miami Sports team for all the new player profiles and inside info on the future of the fins.
Click here to watch.