DE mocked to 49ers by Mel Kiper has size, athleticism matched only by Vernon Davis
The 49ers need a lot of help on their offensive line, but ESPN’s draft analyst Mel Kiper had them going a different direction in his second mock draft. In that second projection he had San Francisco scooping up Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson with the No. 31 overall pick. After Robinson’s combine performance though, he may not make it that far in the first round.
Robinson measured in at 6-3, 254 pounds. That size doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but his athletic testing at that size did. Robinson ripped off a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, and then jumped 10-feet-8-inches in the broad jump.
According to NFL Media’s Rich Eisen, Robinson’s athletic testing at his size has only been matched by one other player in the last 20 years: former 49ers TE and No. 6 overall pick Vernon Davis.
Edge rusher @PennStateFball @chopyoungbull Robinson is only the 2nd player in the last 20 Combines to run sub-4.5 and broad jump at least 10.5-feet after weighing in 250+ pounds.
The other: TE @VernonDavis85 in 2006 pic.twitter.com/7gnKpnQPdO
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) February 29, 2024
Robinson was already a really fun prospect. His explosiveness shows up on tape and he has the bend to quickly turn corners on offensive tackles on either side. There’s plenty of reason to believe he’s a Round 1 edge prospect. Now we can tack on the Vernon Davis-like athleticism at defensive end at it may be impossible for the 49ers to pass on Robinson if he winds up tumbling to them with the 31st pick.
