Giants Country

Making the Case: Why Giants Should Draft Abdul Carter at No. 3

Here is why the New York Giants need to take Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if he's still on the board.

Evan Orris

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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The New York Giants have been at their best when they have an elite pass rush anchoring their defense.

Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyoria led the Giants to a Super Bowl XLII win by wreaking havoc on Tom Brady. Jason Pierre-Paul joined Tuck, and Umenyiora did the same in the Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots.

In 1986, the trio of Carl Banks, Leonard Marshall, and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos and John Elway. They did it again in 1990 by defeating the Buffalo Bills and Jim Kelly in Super Bowl XXV.

Clearly, there is a precedent for having a deep pass-rushing group. The Giants could have that again this coming season if they were to select Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to team up with defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence II and Chauncey Golston, and outside linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts after sacking Maryland Terrapins quarterback.
Nov 30, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts after sacking Maryland Terrapins quarterback MJ Morris (not pictured) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Carter appeared in 42 games throughout his three-year collegiate career and recorded 172 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, one interception, and 13 pass breakups. He broke out this season and improved his draft stock by recording 12 sacks and 24 tackles for losses.

Carter ranked second among college EDGE rushers with a 93.2 pass-rush grade. He also had a pass rush win rate of 22.6%, which put him in the 99th percentile of college EDGE rushers.

The Giants' defense ranked 13th in the league with a 41% pass-rush win rate and finished in the top 10 with 45 sacks. Lawrence missed five games this season due to a season-ending elbow injury, and Thibodeaux missed five games due to a wrist injury.

Once Thibodeaux returned from injury in Week 12, the duo of Burns and him were lethal. They combined for 41 of the team's 79 pressures (51.9%) since Week 12, the second-highest team share by any duo, behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker (52.3%) of the Jaguars.

Even in a crowded EDGE room, there are ways to simultaneously get all three rushers on the field. They could use Burns or Thibodeaux on the line playing inside the offensive tackle instead of a stand-up role, similar to how Big Blue used Tuck and Umenyoria on passing downs.

It also allows the newly acquired Golston to play as a defensive tackle. Last season, Golston played in 84 snaps as a tackle out of 786 snaps. However, under Dan Quinn in 2023, he played 154 snaps out of 307 and recorded 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss.

Adding Carter would elevate the Giants into an elite defensive line group. But he wants to earn his playing time and make a name for himself.

“Yeah, my goal is to come in and be ‘The Guy,’” Carter said about playing with the duo at the combine.

“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.”

If the Giants draft Carter, it would give them a solid pass-rushing unit in which the rookie could help keep the veterans fresh by taking on some of their snaps. 

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Evan Orris
EVAN ORRIS

Evan Orris is a 2022 graduate of Indiana University. In college, he covered the Indiana Hoosiers football and men’s basketball teams for the Daily Hoosier and Hoosier Huddle. Evan also wrote for FanSided, the New York Post, and NBA.com. During his time with the Post, he covered the New York Giants and the New York Jets.

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