4 Edge Rushers the Buccaneers should target after Haason Reddick trade
By Rob Leeds
Chop Robinson, Penn State
Sticking with realistic options, as nice as it would be to think about a Jared Verse or Laiatu Latu falling to 26, the Bucs need to plan for the much more likely option of Chop Robinson.
Now, this is a very interesting situation for the Bucs, especially because it looks very similar to what happened when Tampa selected JTS with their first-round pick in 2021.
Finishing studying and grading Penn St. EDGE Chop Robinson. Two things I’ve noticed.
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) March 27, 2024
1. He has more pass rush moves than I’ve seen discussed
2. Flashes edge setting in the run game and violence at POA
I’m comfortable with Chop back-end of the 1st. pic.twitter.com/4C9t7PMRdN
Robinson and JTS are kindred sprits of sorts in the draft process. Their college production was decent and showed plenty of NFL-ready traits, but the thing that most people salivate over is their freak athleticism. The potential is there, but both guys are project pieces. JTS hasn't been a bad pick, but we do see how that ended up.
Given the need at the position, the Bucs woud be silly to pass on Robinson if he was availble. If you want to catch fish, you need to have lines in the water. And the Buccaneers desperately need a catch here if this defense is going to stand out in 2024.
Robinson is probably the type of guy that would benefit from playing behind a veteran (Lawson) for the start of the season and come on the field for passing downs, but there is another scenario where the Bucs throw the rookie into the fire early and see if pressure makes diamonds.
The draft becomes much more of a guessing game towards the end of the first round, but this seems as good a bet as any for the Buccaneers if the opportunity presents itself.