Carter's agent provides major injury update before NFL Draft

Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter. Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Abdul Carter's agent provides major injury update before 2025 NFL Draft

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 8:27 AM ET

Injuries have been one of the few concerns about Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter during the pre-draft process.

At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot and considered undergoing surgery. He also missed the Penn State pro day on March 28 because of a left shoulder injury he suffered in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Boise State.

On Thursday, however, he received a positive update regarding his foot injury.

Carter's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN's Adam Schefter his medical recheck in Indianapolis showed the stress reaction is healing, and he won't need surgery.

"It should be a non-factor with teams at this point," Rosenhaus said of the stress reaction, per Schefter.

Abdul Carter’s medical recheck in Indianapolis today showed that the stress reaction in his foot is healing, there has been improvement and no surgery will be needed, per his agent Drew Rosenhaus. “It should be a non-factor with the teams at this point,” Rosenhaus said. pic.twitter.com/0pWOiC19Ou
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 10, 2025

Teams should continue to do their evaluations to ensure Carter is 100%, but the update should further solidify his status as a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.

According to Tankathon's projections, the Cleveland Browns will take him with pick No. 2.

In his draft guide, "The Beast," The Athletic's Dane Brugler rates the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder as his No. 1 edge-rusher.

"Overall, Carter is a disruptive presence, because of his explosive nature and how he mixes up rushes to win with speed, force and a budding arsenal of moves," wrote Brugler. "He projects as a 1A pass-rusher, with a gift for consistently making the quarterback move his feet and making plays in the run game."

Per Pro Football Focus, Carter tied for second in the FBS in pressures last season, with 66 in 16 games. Remember that last season was his first as a full-time edge-rusher. He was an off-ball linebacker in his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions.

Clearly, Carter is one of the top prospects in the class. With the medical issues subsiding, teams probably won't pass on him during the first round of the draft on April 24.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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