Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; the New York Giants select Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter as the number three pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Giants’ Abdul Carter is Ready to Get to Work

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 9:41 PM ET

Abdul Carter, the newest member of the New York Giants, is ready to get to work for his new team.

The once lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan officially renounced his loyalty to the Giants’ biggest division rivals and is all about Big Blue, he told reporters after the Giants made him the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

“It's dope,” he said on a conference call with reporters shortly after his selection by the Giants. “My parents are an hour and a half away. They can come and see me anytime they want. It's just really dope being in New York, the biggest city in the world. Yeah, it's really a dream.”

It’s also a dream for the Giants defense, which is looking to regain its identity as a dominant force, akin to the good old days of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, led by Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Carter, who posted a photo of Taylor from his visit with the Giants, wasn’t born when the great LT terrorized quarterbacks in his prime. He admitted to studying Taylor's YouTube videos, whom he aspires to emulate.

“Yeah. LT, the ‘GOAT,’” he said. “Somebody I look up to, somebody I studied, and one of the greatest players of all time. I just wanna follow in his footsteps, just bring dominance back to New York.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who met with Carter during a parents' weekend for his daughter a few weeks ago, could hardly contain his happiness with the pick.

“We had a great breakfast and a great meeting,” Daboll said. “He’s a great kid, and he's an exceptional player. He's got great quickness and bend. He's hard to block.

“He played off the ball the year before, and he also has some instincts in that area. Smart– just had a really good meeting with him, and then he was up here, fun.”

Daboll added that he couldn’t wait to get Carter into the building.

“He is gonna do everything he can to, you know, to help us out, and we'll start from ground zero,” he said. “But he's got a great personality. He's a lot of fun to be around, and he is a good football player.”

He also wants to be dominant, especially since he’s joining a solid cast that includes defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II, fellow outside linebackers Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and newcomer Chauncey Golston.

“Yeah, we gonna be dominant,” Carter said. “It gonna be dope just getting to know those guys as a person, getting close to them as teammates, so once you on the field together, just wreak havoc.”

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