Giants head coach John Harbaugh gives hype train for Abdul Carter more momentum

Back in July, well-known NFL analyst Mina Kimes of ESPN insisted that second-year New York Giants pass-rusher Abdul Carter "has all of the tools to be a double-digit every year sack player" and reminded her of one-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Von Miller.

Over the weekend, first-year Giants head coach John Harbaugh shared high praise for how Carter has handled things during training camp.

Abdul Carter becoming "a real leader" for Giants

"I think he's been a real leader and mostly by example, by the way he's playing and the energy he's giving," Harbaugh said about Carter, per Grant Gordon of the NFL's website. "So, it looks good...I mean, he's had a really, really great camp so far."

The Giants made Carter the third overall pick of the 2025 draft, but then-interim head coach Mike Kafka ultimately benched the promising prospect for tardiness on multiple occasions. As a rookie, Carter tallied just four sacks over 17 games.

The fact that the Giants have Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Arvell Reese on the roster could theoretically allow the club to move on from Carter if a head coach who had nothing to do with the team drafting the 22-year-old decides that the former Penn State star is surplus to requirements. Thus far, Harbaugh seemingly has no interest in going down such a road.

"I didn't know him as well because, honestly, in the draft, it wasn't a guy we were really looking at because we weren't going to have a chance to draft him," Harbaugh said about how he viewed Carter when the coach was working for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2025 draft. "And so, I didn't know him at all. Then, I started talking to him and liked him right away and the things he had said that he wanted to do."

Does John Harbaugh see Abdul Carter as a future award winner? 

Earlier this summer, Carter made it known he wants "to be Defensive Player of the Year." Harbaugh appears to believe Carter could achieve such a goal sooner rather than later. 

"I would say this, I'd say everything he's spoken of in terms of what he wants to accomplish and his plans to do so, he's following through on," Harbaugh added about Carter.