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Penn State Football EDGE Chop Robinson could be a top-25 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (Image via USA TODAY Sports)
Penn State Football defensive end Chop Robinson is moving up in the world.
The Nittany Lions‘ junior defensive end who put the NFL on notice when he tore up the NFL Combine a few weeks ago is the 21st ranked overall prospect on CBS Sports, and is predicted to go anywhere from 22nd to the Philadelphia Eagles to 29th to the Detroit Lions on their assortment of five mock drafts.
Penn State DE Chop Robinson had a record-setting NFL Combine peformance (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
If Robinson goes to Philly he could help the Birds get their pass rushing groove back.
Philly led the league in sacks in 2022 with 70 but dropped to 20th this past season with just 43. The Lions were even worse than that last year, logging only 41 sacks ranking them 23rd in the league despite making an appearance in the NFL Title game.
“It’s no surprise Chop flashed at the combine and his pro day, and while he had just four sacks last season for Penn State, he’s incredibly disruptive coming off the edge. In Detroit, he’ll make life easier for Aidan Hutchinson and a much-improved Lions defense.” said CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, projecting Robinson to Detroit.
Cade McNamara #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is sacked by Chop Robinson #44 and Adisa Isaac #20 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on September 23, 2023 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
What Chop Robinson Has to Offer in NFL Draft
It’s true Robinson had just four sacks last season but he missed six games due to a head injury he suffered at Ohio State and he sat out the Peach Bowl to focus on the upcoming draft. He also logged two forced fumbles in the six games that he did play last year.
The NFL scouting report on the 6’-3, 254 speedy edge rusher from Gaithersburg, Md. is a pretty glowing one that captures the essence of what Robinson will bring to the NFL next year.
“He offers the type of elite athleticism comparable to players like the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and the Browns’ Myles Garrett,” Lance Zierline Writes. “Robinson might not be as fast as Parsons, but he’s close. He’s ultra-twitchy with the explosiveness to get on top of blockers and overwhelm them in an instant…Robinson’s electric athletic traits alone should give him a floor as a good NFL starter. If he crafts a rush approach and learns to string moves/counters together, he could reach his ceiling as a destructive force capable of forcing teams to game plan around him.”
Meanwhile, one NFC Scout offers “I get the comparison to Micah Parsons, but I think Parsons was a little more polished as a football player when he came out. Chop is still a little green.”
No real surprise there as there aren’t too many edge rushers who are as polished as Parsons, who was a standout linebacker at PSU and is one of the most disruptive defenders in the game today.
A proud graduate of Villanova University, Staszak’s first gig in the industry was with PRISM sports in 1989, covering the four local home teams, the Flyers, 76ers and Phillies while also covering the Randall Cunningham-led Philadelphia Eagles.
It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008.It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run.In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic along with 4 Philly Sports and now covers Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.
A proud graduate of Villanova University, Staszak’s first gig in the industry was with PRISM sports in 1989, covering the four local home teams, the Flyers, 76ers and Phillies while also covering the Randall Cunningham-led Philadelphia Eagles.
It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008. It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run. In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic, and currently covers the Eagles for Heavy Sports, in addition to Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-17372" src="https://nittanycentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_0436-topaz-denoise-enhance-6x-exposure-faceai-sharpen-color.jpg" alt="Joe Staszak covers Penn State Football for NittanyCentral." width="250" height="250" />
A proud graduate of Villanova University, Staszak’s first gig in the industry was with PRISM sports in 1989, covering the four local home teams, the Flyers, 76ers and Phillies while also covering the Randall Cunningham-led Philadelphia Eagles.
It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008. It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run. In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic, and currently covers the Eagles for <a href="https://heavy.com/author/joestaszak/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heavy Sports</a>, in addition to Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.