Penn State freshman linebacker Abdul Carter (11) celebrates a sack in the fourth quarter against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in State College. The Nittany Lions won, 35-16. Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

New York Giants Land 'Generational' Edge Rusher Abdul Carter in Round 1 of 2025 NFL Draft

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Brandon Olsen | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 8:33 PM ET

As expected, the New York Giants not only held onto the third overall pick (though they did try to trade up to No. 1) but also selected elite EDGE Abdul Carter out of Penn State.

While many people view the Giants' edge duo of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux as a team strength, adding Carter makes that position group even more dangerous.

Truly great pass rushes usually have three edge players they can rely on to wreak havoc on any given play. In the Giants’ case, they also have the best interior defensive lineman walking the face of the earth right now in Dexter Lawrence II.

Carter should allow defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to utilize the rookie’s versatility–he can play off-ball linebacker in addition to lining up on the edge.

It's also worth noting that Thibodeaux is entering the final year of his rookie contract. While it’s expected his option year will be exercised, the coming season is a big one for him.

Under general manager Joe Schoen, the Giants have tried to avoid having to pay players who enter their rookie option year, given the large chunk of change it takes to do so. Instead, as they did with left tackle Andrew Thomas and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, they prefer to extend the players before they reach their option year.

To justify an extension, there has been a trend of the player usually achieving some sort of postseason honor, such as being named to a first—or second-team All-Pro team or making the Pro Bowl.

Thibodeaux has yet to achieve either of those, and he would run the Giants $14.751 million to have his option year exercised.

They could still carry that total on their 2026 cap, but the addition of Carter gives them more flexibility should they want to trade Thibodeaux (which would make sense if the 2025 season goes down the tubes) for future draft capital.

Carter’s Strengths

Carter’s elite first step, explosion into blockers on the line of scrimmage, and versatility make him a potential franchise-changing pass-rusher.

In just his first full season playing outside linebacker in 2024, Carter had the second-most pressures in the country. Carter was under two pressures behind Indiana’s Mikail Kamara, but he also gave Kamara a 50+ snap head start.

Many people will compare Carter to former Penn State edge rusher Micah Parsons, as the two are nearly identical in size and usage as off-ball linebackers who became edge rushers.

Concerns

I have only two questions about Carter’s talent and transfer to the NFL level: size and pass-rush plan.

Carter measured 6’3” and 250 pounds at the NFL Combine. He didn’t test in Indianapolis because a stress reaction in his right foot was discovered. Two weeks ago, medical rechecks in Indianapolis reportedly showed that the issue was no longer a concern.

Still, it’s possible his playing weight will be lighter, which could lead to some issues facing bigger linemen at the next level. Even then, Carter wasn’t handled cleanly by bigger offensive linemen often in 2024, so this is more of a potential concern than a proven one.

It isn’t surprising that Carter doesn’t have a refined pass-rush plan, considering his relative inexperience in the position.

Outside of his spin move and his dip and rip, Carter doesn’t have much of a plan as a pass-rusher, but it’s evident in the film that he was improving his moves throughout the season.

The expectation for Carter as a rookie should be to come in and contribute in a pass-rush specialist role while gradually being introduced to the more nitty-gritty type of plays and adding some mass.

\We think at first he’ll be part of a rotation to spell Burns and Thibodeaux, but we can also see a world where he gets on the field at the same time as those two on obvious passing downs.

On film, it’s clear that Carter is a willing and able run defender. Still, he needs more experience handling those responsibilities from the edge instead of being an off-ball linebacker, where he spent most of his career.

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