49ers' Ji'Ayir Brown thrilled for Chop Robinson as awesome Combine likely ends hopes of them reuniting
Ji'Ayir Brown and Chop Robinson were teammates at Penn State, but hopes of them reuniting as members of the San Francisco 49ers potentially went out the window at the NFL Combine on Thursday. Nittany Lions edge rusher Robinson lit up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, setting a blazing 40-yard dash time of […]
Ji'Ayir Brown and Chop Robinson were teammates at Penn State, but hopes of them reuniting as members of the San Francisco 49ers potentially went out the window at the NFL Combine on Thursday.
Nittany Lions edge rusher Robinson lit up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, setting a blazing 40-yard dash time of 4.48 seconds with an incredible 10-yard split of 1.54 seconds at 254 pounds, giving him a 99th percentile speed score. It is the fastest 10-yard split ever recorded for an edge rusher weighing over 250 pounds, per Marcus Mosher.
Robinson was mocked to the 49ers recently by ESPN's NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper with the 31st overall pick. The Niners covet the kind of burst Robinson displayed at the edge rusher position, but the likelihood is that Robinson's star turn took him out of their reach and catapulted him much higher in the first round.
Still, even as he watched the chances of playing with Robinson in the pros diminish, Brown — the 49ers’ top pick last year in the third round — was quick to celebrate his college teammate's achievement on social media.
Brown had an impressive rookie season with the 49ers after Talanoa Hufanga's injury promoted him to a starting job at the safety position.
The highlight of that campaign was an interception in the Niners' Super Bowl 58 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, which came on the opening series of the second half as he displayed impressive instincts to pick off a hurried Patrick Mahomes.
In that game Brown was able to benefit from playing behind a ferocious defensive line that dominated the matchup in the trenches for long periods. The 49ers will be looking to rebuild their depth on the defensive line in the offseason and should be in the market for pass rushers on the edge and the interior.
But, sadly for Brown, the odds of Robinson's name being called by the 49ers look increasingly slim. Instead, he'll probably have to celebrate Robinson going to a rival well before the Niners are on the clock.
49ers hold formal interview with potential first-round cornerback
It would shake up the defense.
