Giants' John Harbaugh gives update on Abdul Carter injury

The New York Giants got a scare on Monday when pass-rusher Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had to leave practice with an injury.

It was an ankle injury that was bad enough that Carter took off his cleats and had to walk off the field. He didn't return to the practice, which was the first day of mandatory minicamp for the Giants.

While you never want to see a young athlete full of potential go down in minicamp, the good news for both Carter and the Giants is that the moment seemed bigger than what it really was.

According to new head coach John Harbaugh, Carter is expected to be just fine.

"Looks like he twisted his ankle to some degree and doesn't look serious," Harbaugh said after the practice, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

One would imagine that Carter may take it easy for a day or two as a precaution, because there's no reason to re-aggravate something at this point of the offseason.

It does sound like he'll be back at minicamp sooner rather than later, though. That is, of course, if Harbaugh's initial reaction that the ankle twist was not serious holds up.

New York Giants need Abdul Carter to figure out being a pro in the NFL 

Carter had an interesting rookie season in New York. He flashed the talent that led to him being such a high pick coming out of Penn State. He finished his rookie season with four sacks and 72 quarterback pressures.

According to NFL NextGen Stats, those 72 pressures were seventh best in the entire league.

He was benched twice for disciplinary reasons, though. He reportedly missed a walkthrough in November and was benched for the opening drive of New York's loss to the Green Bay Packers. A few weeks later, he was benched again for missing a meeting.

If he can figure out how to be a pro, Carter could end up being really good for the Giants. Getting injured would not help that process, so the Giants have to be breathing a sigh of relief.