Chop Robinson hasn't piled up sacks. Chris Grier is right. It doesn't matter. | Habib

MIAMI GARDENS — General manager Chris Grier was talking about Chop Robinson, the Dolphins’ first-round draft pick, when the player who crossed his mind was Danielle Hunter.

But hold on.

“I’m not putting that pressure on him to be Danielle Hunter,” Grier said.

Grier knows it would have been silly to suggest setting such a bar for Robinson’s career less than an hour after he’d been a pro.

More: Dolphins fans are going to like what Chop Robinson's high school coach says about him

Hunter is a perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher now with the Houston Texans.

Hunter is someone with 87.5 career sacks.

Know what else Hunter is? A guy who couldn’t find a quarterback on a Manningcast back in college.

“Danielle Hunter had four career sacks coming out of college,” Grier said.

Chris Grier: You can't draft off of sack totals

Four happens to be how many sacks Robinson had — not in his career but in 10 games last season at Penn State. He had 11.5 for his three-year career, which began at Maryland. Of the edge rushers/defensive ends taken in the first round, all of the other four had at least double the number of sacks last year.

And Grier is OK with that.

“There are other players throughout the league that if you look at what their college numbers are compared to how they’ve had success in the pros … ,” Grier said.

Grier didn’t actually finish that thought. Didn’t need to. He’d made his point. It might be tempting to say he’s just sticking up for his pick because that’s what general managers do, but the reality is, Grier is right. Stats might be decent predictors of future success for some collegiate positions. Pass rusher isn’t one of them.

Before we all agree on this point — and we will in a minute — let’s start on something we can all agree on up front. Micah Parsons? Not a bad player for Dallas, right? Had 14 sacks this past season. Was in the discussion for another Defensive Player of the Year award. His last season at Penn State? Five sacks. Two-year career total: 6.5 sacks.

Hunter had 16.5 last season and was one of only six players with more sacks than Parsons. Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike, who had 13 last year, needed three years at Texas A&M to bring his career total to 11.

One more: In his final season at Wisconsin, T.J. Watt had 11.5 sacks. Before you say it makes sense that the Steelers took him in the first round, you should know Watt’s two-year collegiate career total is … 11.5 sacks.

Besides being familiar names, all the veterans cited finished among the NFL’s top 10 in sacks in 2023. But put their collegiate careers in a blender, let them swirl around, and you’ll find that the average college season for all 10 was only 6.2 sacks.

This is why Grier and coach Mike McDaniel all but recoil when more is made of sack numbers than the fact they’re limited in what they ultimately mean.

“Over the years, we’ve talked about the stats part,” Grier said. “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.”

Mike McDaniel: You can never have too many pass rushers

For an offensive coach, McDaniel certainly seemed happy with the selection, nodding in agreement when someone brought up an old comment of his about edge being his favorite position.

"It’s key to remember, man that team, ‘They just had too many pass rushers, that was their problem,’ that’s never been said," McDaniel said.

McDaniel went on to add that nobody ever drafts receivers by looking at a least of receiving yards.

"I’m not sure if anyone can even rattle off the order of the production of the players," McDaniel said. "Disrupting the passer, there are a lot of compounding variables to a sack, whether a quarterback sees it and holds onto it or not.”

Robinson was surprisingly chipper during his first in-person encounter with South Florida reporters Friday afternoon, especially considering that the only decent sleep he’d gotten was on the flight from Maryland.

He talked about his numerous interactions with Parsons, including advice he’d received, which can only be a positive. He talked about meeting Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, two veterans coming off season-ending injuries.

“Those are some guys, I’ll be able to take some things from their game, add it onto mine so I can be an elite player,” Robinson said.

Being elite is not a goal that came to Robinson in a dream on his flight, mind you.

“I've been working for this since I was 5 years old,” Robinson said, supporting a claim by his old high school coach, John Kelley, that his star pupil is a devoted worker (even if we’re talking child labor).

Robinson, whose given first name is Demeioun, reflected on the sacrifices he’d made to get here. How transferring from Maryland to Penn State meant separation from his family for the first time. But even then, if you wanted to find him, you started by knocking on his dorm door.

That wasn’t the biggest hardship in his life. Not even close. Robinson comes from a family with nine siblings but lost a sister when he was in the first grade and lost a brother in his freshman year of high school.

“So losing my two siblings. I knew that no matter what adversity is thrown my way, nothing could make me feel worse than me losing my two siblings,” he said. “So I always looked at it as a positive thing. Just coming out there and give everything I’ve got in what I do and just keep me motivated. …

“I’m doing it for them, too.”

More: Buy Chop Robinson jersey after Miami Dolphins make first round pick in 2024 NFL Draft

A much brighter memory: what it was like growing up with so many siblings.

“It was always fun, though,” he said. “You could never be bored. You could always bother another sibling. One thing, you’ve got to get to the kitchen table as fast as you can because sometimes some people will have to eat on the stairs if you don't make it to the kitchen table.”

Is that how he developed his signature, imposing first step?

“Basically.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com.Follow him on social media @gunnerhal.

Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why Chris Grier is right to discount Chop Robinson's low sack total