POD Community Mock: With the 29th pick, the Lions select…

With pick No. 29 in the 2024 POD Community Mock Draft, the Detroit Lions select…

Our 2024 Pride of Detroit Community Mock is well underway, and over the past couple of weeks, we have seen members of our community make selections for the first 28 picks, and thus putting the Detroit Lions on the clock. If you missed any of the previous sections, you can check all of them out, including the fan-voted grades, in our Community Mock Draft Tracker.

As we do every year in this exercise, we picked a handful of players that Lions fans may want the team to select and published a poll for the community to vote on. The results of this poll are still ongoing, but at the time of this publication, the majority of votes resided with Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson.

As is tradition, I made my selection before the voting began, and for the first time ever, my pick aligns with the fans. With pick No. 29 in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select…

Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State

6-foot-3, 255 pounds, 4.48 second 40-yard-dash, 9.72 RAS

Robinson began his career at Maryland—he grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland—when he played off-the-ball linebacker as a freshman. His desire to rush the passer led him to transfer to Penn State, where he snagged an Honorable Big Ten recognition as a rotational player during his first year on campus. The following season he earned a starting role—his only year as a starter—and declared for the NFL draft at the end of his junior season.

Blessed with rare traits, Robinson has a first step that rivals some of the best pass rushers in the NFL. His ability to get off the snap with suddenness immediately puts offensive tackles in vulnerable spots, resulting in a litany of disruptive plays each game. Penn State coaches would often line up Robinson at a wide position—both standing up and with his hand in the dirt—in order to give him a better angle at the quarterback, and thus, a further advantage over his opponent.

While quickness is his best trait, he does have more tools in his bag. He deploys his active hands early in reps, which further keeps him off blocks. This combination of hands with quickness is elite, and even in situations where the offensive lineman is ready, Robinson has a variety of counters at his disposal.

Against the run, Robinson has shown the ability to set the edge, but he will need to add more strength at the next level. His tackling is sound, and when he marries his technique with his athleticism, he’s a difficult player to get around.

With a high level of athleticism and tools to complement his skill set, the biggest concern surrounding Robinson is his shocking lack of production on the field. Over his three seasons of college football, Robinson has amassed a total of just 43 tackles, including just 15 in 2023, as a starter. Of his 43 tackles, 20 were for loss, including 11.5 sacks (four in 2023). He is credited with three passes defended and three forced turnovers (fumbles), including two fumbles he recovered himself. PFF has credited Robinson with 87 career pressures, but only 26 came as a starter in 2023.

The lack of production is a big red flag for Robinson—and likely why he could still be available at pick No. 29—and it could also be a deal breaker for Lions general manager Brad Holmes.

So why pick him for the Lions in this mock draft?

First, elite pass rushing traits are hard to come by and the Lions need more players who possess them. A prospect with this level of traits is rarely found at this stage of the NFL Draft, and there’s value in seizing the opportunity.

Second, Robinson is still very early in his development and there’s plenty of room to grow into production. Yes, there is no guarantee the stats ever match his athleticism, but it’s worth taking a chance and hoping the Lions have the coaches to unlock that potential. If the Lions believe they can coach him up, he could end up being the best pure pass rusher in this class.

Third, the Lions simply don’t have a player like him on their current roster. His combination of traits is very appealing and he’s a rare prospect who has them all in one package. The challenge will be pulling production out of the untapped potential jar.

Fourth, while this pick goes a bit against the Holmes-value system, we’ve seen in recent drafts that Holmes doesn’t play by traditional rules, and once you think you have him figured out, he operates against the grain. Robinson’s lack of production could very easily move him down the Lions draft board. But if Holmes is once again changing things up and looking for potential, Robinson is loaded with it.

Simply put, Robinson’s rare traits are worth the gamble if the Lions feel like they can develop him and put him in situations where he can succeed.

In the immediacy, Robinson gives the Lions a true rush end to pair with Aidan Hutchinson and a new skill set that will allow defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to change up defensive fronts to better match up with opponents.

In the long term, the addition of Robinson spreads out when the contracts expire amongst their defensive ends. John Cominsky and Marcus Davenport are on expiring deals. James Houston will be a restricted free agent next season, while Josh Paschal’s contract expires in 2025. Hutchinson’s fifth-year option (assuming the Lions pick it up) will carry him through the 2026 season, while Robinson’s contract would expire in 2027 with a fifth-year option for 2028.

Time to grade the pick.