The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, and the New York Giants are among the teams that can take a few different approaches in the first round. They have the third overall pick this year, and barring a last-minute trade to move up or down the order, they will likely stick and pick.
The Giants are one of the favorites to land Abdul Carter in the draft
Miami quarterback Cam Ward continues to be the likely first overall pick, but anybody after that is a toss-up. One of the top prospects that is on the Giants’ radar is former Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Carter had a private meeting with the Giants earlier this week and could be their first-round draft choice, given that they no longer need to take a quarterback after signing Russell Wilson. Giants general manager Joe Schoen spoke highly about Carter and felt that he could have a big impact on the team, given what they already have at the position.
“Everybody watched the Super Bowl, right? Philly rushed with how many, four the whole game? That’s one way to do it,” Schoen said (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper). “If you think about any of these players that may or may not be in the mix, as a unique player like him that played off the ball for two years and has only played one season off the edge and had a really good season.
“You’ve got Kayvon, and you’ve got Burns, you’ve got Dex inside. It gives you a lot of options. He’s a versatile player. He’s young, just 21 years old, and an exciting player to watch. Yeah, you can’t have enough pass rushers.”
Carter could give the Giants a scary pass rush group
The Giants are already in good shape in terms of their pass rush, as they have Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux for that. However, adding Carter to the mix would form arguably the deadliest pass rush in the league, and they could quickly become a top defense as a result.
Carter was a stud at Penn State this past season and was key to their run through the College Football Playoff. In 2024, Carter led all of Division I with 24 tackles for loss (68 total combined tackles) and had 12 sacks. He was named an All-American and was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
There’s no denying Carter’s talent level, though the main concern has been a foot injury that has hampered him through the pre-draft process. However, his health seems to be in good shape, and the expectation is that his injury won’t affect his NFL career.
The Giants have a few different routes to take in the draft, as they could still take quarterback Shedeur Sanders or wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter at pick No. 3 if they are still available. However, if Carter is still there when they are on the clock, it will be hard to pass up on a potentially generational talent despite the position not being one of the team’s biggest needs.
