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Abdul Carter Compared To Two-Time All-Pro Pass Rusher Before NFL Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated Feb 16, 2025 5:14 PM ET

Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter is in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, and he has garnered a lofty player comparison as a result.

The 6-foot-3, 259-pound EDGE put together a unanimous All-American season with the Nittany Lions as a junior, leading the nation in tackles for loss (24) with 12 sacks.

Despite suffering a shoulder injury before the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, Carter played through the pain and still totaled five tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in the 3-point loss.

Carter is ESPN's Matt Miller's "favorite player" among prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he is one of three EDGE defenders with first-round grades, also including Georgia's Jalon Waker and Mykel Williams.

"Carter is currently my favorite prospect in this class," Miller wrote. "At 6-foot-3, 259 pounds, he started his college career as an off-ball linebacker but was unstoppable after being bumped to edge full time this past season, racking up 12 sacks and 61 pressures."

Miller revealed his NFL player comparison for Carter as a familiar name with Penn State ties.

Carter is comparable to former Nittany Lions star and two-time First-Team All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons.

Parsons (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) was a consensus All-American selection at Penn State in 2019. He was taken by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 12 overall pick in 2021 and has since amassed 256 total tackles with 63 tackles for loss and 52.5 sacks.

Parsons earned Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons in Dallas.

"Carter has the first-step quickness and speed to blow past tackles, along with the power to set them up and run through them," Miller wrote. "He has the makings of a perennial NFL double-digit sack performer."

The NFL combine is a key step for Carter to bolster his already impressive draft stock, something that Parsons took full advantage of by finishing at the top of all linebackers at the event in 2021.

The combine will take place from Feb. 27-March 2 before the 2025 NFL Draft is held from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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