Giants Country

Could Abdul Carter Be the Defensive Spark the Giants Need?

Penn State OLB Abdul Carter's pass-rushing prowess could potentially help the Giants' pass-rushing defense slide into the top-ten league wide

Victoria Jonach

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter (DL44) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.
Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter (DL44) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi once famously said a team can never have enough pass rushers. This statement proved true when the Giants won Super Bowl XLII, thanks in part to their deep pass rush rotation.

Fast-forward to present times, and the Giants, who have a list of needs that includes a pass rusher, might have a chance to add Penn State's Abdul Carter, one of the premier players in the draft.

Carter, who has been rising on several big boards to as high as the top player on the board, finished his three-year career for the Nittany Lions having appeared in 42 games with 172 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, one interception, and 13 pass breakups. 

Should he fall to the Giants and they draft him, Carter could be the Giants’ mulligan for passing on former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in the 2021 draft. 

Penn State OLB Abdul Carter
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) practices before the Fiesta Bowl against the Boise State Broncos at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Of course, that would mean that Carter, who grew up as an Eagles fan, got to celebrate the Giants’ fiercest divisional rival’s Super Bowl championship, for which he gained attention for his custom sweatshirt that he wore to the Super Bowl earlier this month, would have to turn in his green and white fan card.  

“Whatever team I’m on, whatever team I play, they get my best,” Carter told reporters at the combine.

The Giants' pass rush would certainly welcome his best. In ESPN's annual rankings, the Giants finished with a 41% pass-rush win rate, putting them 13th in the league. But they would no doubt like to be a top-10 unit in that category, and a potential pass-rushing trio of Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns could be just the ticket to making that happen.

Carter said he’d look forward to potentially lining up in a pass-rush package with those two veterans.  

“Yeah, my goal is to come in and be ‘The Guy,’” he said. “If I go to a team that already got established, I want to earn my spot anyway, so I want to come in and compete right away.”

Whether Carter drops to the Giants, who have the third overall pick in the draft, remains to be seen. The Tennessee Titans, who have the first pick in the draft, have permitted their veteran pass rusher Harold Landry to seek a trade, which could be a sign that they’re strongly considering Carter.  

But would the Giants forgo the chance to draft a franchise quarterback in the draft? That could depend on whether they can work out a trade with the Rams for Matthew Stafford, to whom the Giants have been strongly linked, and if CArter or another strong defensive candidate is sitting there at No. 3. 

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Victoria Jonach
VICTORIA JONACH

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