Expectations are high for New York Giants first-round rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Carter, chosen by the Giants with the No. 3 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft flashed elite traits throughout the spring that made him one of the most coveted prospects in this year’s class following a dominant collegiate career at Penn State.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski predicts that despite all the hype that Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback and No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter has received, that Carter will finish with the more exciting rookie season.
“Carter converted from off-ball linebacker to full-time edge-defender,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski writes of Carter. “During his final season on campus at Penn State. It became clear he was developing at a rapid pace during the 2024 campaign, to the point where he was almost unblockable during the second half of the Nittany Lions’ contests.
“His explosiveness off the snap, coupled with Gumby-like flexibility when turning the edge, creates easy wins against offensive linemen if they don’t get off the snap quick enough, take a false step and/or miss their initial punch.”
Carter parlayed his elite traits into an explosive final season in Happy Valley where he posted a career-high 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
If Carter’s game translates to the NFL, and by all accounts this spring he looks ready to be a disruptive force along the Giants’ front seven immediately, it could create some difficult decisons for GM Joe Schoen when it comes to possibly shopping edge rusher and former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux this season.
Abdul Carter Makes Strong Impression on Position Coach
Adam Hunger | GettyRookie edge rusher Abdul Carter has the chance to make a transformative impact on the Giants’ defense.
Carter has yet to participate in a contact practice at the NFL level, much less a game, but he’s already making a strong impression on Giants coaches thanks to the traits he’s flashed in practice this spring.
“When we get the pads on and take steps towards practicing real NFL football, that’ll be the test to see where (Carter’s) technique is at,” Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen said, per Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. “But in terms of the traits, they’re pretty much as advertised.”
Bullen currently has an embarrassment of riches at the position, with Carter, Thibodeaux and veteran Brian Burns, but it is this year’s No. 3 overall pick who may have a loftier ceiling than either of the incumbents he’s joining at the position.
“There is some versatility there,” Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen told reporters this spring, when asked what impresses him about Carter. “And some versatility with what we could potentially do with Burns as well.
“Again, making sure in Abdul’s case that we understand what it takes to be an edge player in this league and all the development that comes with that. But at the same time, making sure we find ways to get the guys that can potentially impact the game for us on the field.”
Last season, in addition to setting a personal benchmark in sacks, Carter led the nation with 66 pressures on his way to a 92.4 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus.
If Carter is able to make that kind of a difference in opposing backfields this upcoming season, it is going to have a massive trickle down effect on the rest of the defense, especially a secondary that was given a massive overhaul with the additions of cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland in free agency.
Giants’ Malik Nabers Recalls His ‘Welcome to The NFL’ Moment
Luke Hales | GettyNew York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers reveals his ‘welcome to the NFL moment’ came against the Washington Commanders in 2024.
Carter has the opportunity, in Week 1, to deliver a “Welcome to the NFL moment” when he likely lines up across the line of scrimmage from Washington Commanders first-round offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr.
The Commanders chose Conerly in hopes he becomes an elite bookend, opposite Laremy Tunsil, helping keep wunderkind second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels upright in the pocket. But, Carter’s pass rush traits could give him a chance to make a strong statement in their NFL debuts.
Similarly, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers recalls that it was against Washington, and linebacker Frankie Luvu that he received his baptism by fire moment.
“I ran like a shallow (cross), it was like third and 4, I think, third and 5, I ran the shallow, I caught the ball and I was going up the field on the right sideline, and one of the linebackers he came and hit me,” Nabers told Dale Earnhardt Jr., in an episode of Taking Laps with Dale Jr.
“I seen him (Luvu) in my peripheral, but it’s like I thought he was farther than what I expected. So I’m cutting, I’m telling (tight end) Theo (Johnson), ‘block the corner that’s right there,’ and I’m going to try to cut backside because the dude’s not going to catch me………It’s like he just magically just appeared right there. He smacked me, I ain’t gonna lie. It looked harder than what it seemed. He hit me, I popped right up, and I was like ‘OK, alright, now I’m in the league.'”
The Commanders clipped the Giants in that game, 21-18, but even though Luvu delivered a punishing blow, Nabers still wound up catching ten passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, effectively announcing his presence as a true No. 1 wide receiver at the NFL level.
This season, Nabers has the potential to be even more explosive, thanks to veteran quarterback Russell Wilson‘s arrival, and the former Super Bowl champion’s propensity for the deep ball.
As the Giants’ offense searches for an identity, a proficient deep-ball passer and legitimate deep threat at wide receiver could prove to be New York’s foundation in 2025.
Giants’ Abdul Carter Gets Bold Prediction for Rookie Season by NFL Analyst