Dolphins Draft Speed: Will Robinson and Wright Make an Impact?

Miami began their draft by landing one of the top pass rushers in Penn State’s Chop Robinson at No. 21. The speedy pass rusher ran a speedy 4.48-second 40 times at the NFL Combine. It is no surprise that head coach Mike McDaniel now has even more speed to work with in 2024.

It also helps that Robinson already has an NFL nickname in “Chop.” Robinson is already drawing comparisons to Micah Parsons, another former Penn State standout.

Chop Robinson smokes the RT to his spot (good luck ever beating Chop to the edge), blows up the RB help, and then tips the pass to force the incompletion. He is truly a one man wrecking crew🪓 pic.twitter.com/Uzpa9udw5N

— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) May 8, 2024

“Edge defender who offers the type of elite athleticism we’ve seen from players like Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile of the pass rusher. “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. However, he will need to level up his hand skills and attack angles to reach his potential against NFL tackles. Robinson’s electric athletic traits alone should give him a floor as a good NFL starter.”

The Dolphins Added More Speed in RB Jaylen Wright

The Dolphins then got some added protection for Tua Tagovailoa by adding Houston tackle Patrick Paul. This is a massive human at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds.

Fantasy owners will want to keep an eye on the addition of Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright in the third round. To the surprise of no one, Miami added more speed in the draft

Jaylen Wright is a player I am not leaving rookie drafts without… pic.twitter.com/tXS1OzOdQh

— Jeremy (@PopesFFH) May 12, 2024

Wright posted 137 carries for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2023. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler labeled the selection of Wright as his favorite Dolphins’ draft pick.

“A team that prides itself on being the fastest in the league added one of the fastest players in the draft,” Brugler wrote. “Wright is a track sprinter with 4.38 speed and shows a lot of promise when he has daylight in front of him. His run tempo and patience are works in progress, but he averaged 7.4 yards per carry in 2023 and will be a home-run hitter as a rookie.”

Jaylen Wright has the most Rookie Draft steam I have ever seen from a 4th Round RB in a committee backfield.

It is a perfect storm of talent+scheme+fit & drafters are taking shots.

The ultimate “worth it” bet.

The Mike McDaniel factor is real.pic.twitter.com/1YyM6mS9yH

— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) May 6, 2024

Questions Surround Chop Robinson’s Production

It is reasonable to wonder about Robinson’s lack of statistical production at Penn State. Robinson had just four sacks during 2023 and a combined 11.5 sacks over his three collegiate seasons.

The Miami Dolphins video team takes you behind the scenes of Chop Robinson’s first day at team headquarters.pic.twitter.com/8fUi79A5SH

— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) May 9, 2024

The pass rusher also only notched 15 tackles in 2023. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier is not concerned about the numbers.

“Since you guys have known me over the years, we’ve talked about the stats part,” Grier noted, per Yahoo Sports. “For us, it’s an important part, but we’ve always talked about the ability to disrupt the passer.”

“His disruption stuff numbers are all very high. For us, working through the analytics, watching him and what he does and contributes, sacks people always want to – the guy that comes to mind for me would be Danielle Hunter had four career sacks coming out of college, and he’s become a really good player in this league.”

So, How Did the Dolphins Do in the NFL Draft?

The Draft reviews are mixed on how the Dolphins performed. Brugler was not impressed, ranking Miami at No. 23 of the 32 NFL teams. ESPN’s Mel Kiper is a bit more bullish on the class giving the Dolphins a B.

“Chop Robinson (21) has elite upside if he can reach his ceiling, but when you turn on his Penn State tape, you wonder why he didn’t dominate,” Kiper noted. “He had just four sacks last season.

“If I were running this team, I would have taken tweener defensive end/tackle Darius Robinson or center Graham Barton instead. Patrick Paul (55) is a selection for the future — he played left tackle in college and could replace Terron Armstead there down the line,” Kiper continued. “But I’m not sure he’s ready to start as a rookie for a team that really had to get instant-impact players.”

“I’m a huge fan of speedy running back Jaylen Wright (120), but Miami gave up its 2025 third-rounder to get him. That’s not great value, especially for a team that doesn’t necessarily have a need at the position.”

Ultimately, the Dolphins draft will be measured by how the players produce on the field, not how the class looks on paper. This is still a team that should contend in the AFC East. The betting odds have Miami at +185 to win the division, just behind Buffalo at +170.

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