Giants Country

Penn State OLB Abdul Carter Posts "LT" Picture Following Visit with Giants

Abdul Carter has been increasingly projected to be the Giants' first-round draft pick.

Patricia Traina

Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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There will never be another Lawrence Taylor, the Pro Football Hall of Fame outside linebacker who, for all of his 13 seasons with the New York Giants, not only made life a living nightmare for opposing quarterbacks but whose freakish athletic skills forced opposing coaches to change the way they defended against him.

But for Penn State edge Abdul Carter, who has spent a lot of time with the Giants, in particular over the last week, and who is believed to be the player the team has zeroed in on at No. 3 in this year’s NFL Draft, he’s undoubtedly going to give it his all to make Taylor and the rest of the Giants franchise proud if he is indeed their choice in the first round.

In the category of “a picture says a thousand words,” Carter posted a picture of Taylor’s football card, which has stirred up some excitement among the team’s fan base, especially those who have been around long enough to remember how Taylor and his cohorts made harassing quarterbacks an art form. 

Carter has been a productive edge rusher in his three seasons for the Nittany Lions. 

An off-ball linebacker for his first two seasons at Penn State, Carter began playing more off the edge last season, and his stats exploded off the page, including 68 tackles, an NCAA-leading 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, and 66 total pressures.

Carter received good news this week during the combine medical recheck which determined that the stress reaction in his right foot found during the combine is not expected to be a problem moving forward. 

With the Titans expected to take Miami quarterback Cam Ward first overall and the Browns projected to take Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter second, that leaves Carter there for the Giants’ choosing.   

If the Giants do choose Carter, it will be interesting to see what jersey number he receives. No. 11, which he wore throughout his college career at Penn State, was retired after being last worn by quarterback Phil Simms.

And of course Taylor’s No. 56, the digits of which add up to 11, is also retired.

That said, there is always the possibility that Simms or Taylor could give their blessings to the franchise to unretire their jersey numbers, just as the family of Ray Flaherty did last year when the team unretired No. 1 to give to receiver Malik Nabers.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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