Penn State's Abdul Carter Closing in on Joining the New York Giants in the NFL Draft

The former Nittany Lions All-American recently visited the New England Patriots, but most signs point toward Carter connecting with the Giants.

Former Penn State football star Abdul Carter talks with his parents and agent, Drew Rosenhaus, at Penn State's Pro Day in Holuba Hall. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Abdul Carter will represent Penn State at the 2025 NFL Draft, joining 16 projected first-round picks at the league's biggest annual offseason show. The next question is, whose jersey will Carter receive on stage?

The former Penn State football All-American is in the final stages of his front-office tours as teams make their final evaluations ahead of the April 24 first round in Green Bay. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Carter visited the New England Patriots on Monday, completing his visits with teams in the top four picks. His next stop is Green Bay, where Carter will attend opening night of the draft.

The visit to New England, which selects at No. 4 overall, followed trips to the New York Giants (No. 3), Tennessee Titans (No. 2) and Cleveland Browns (No. 1). According to Schefter, Carter and his agent, Drrew Rosenhaus, turned down visits to teams outside the top-four picks.

As a result, Rosenhaus clearly believes that Carter will fall no lower than to New England at No. 4 overall. That would make him Penn State's highest draft pick since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall to the New York Giants in 2018 and the team's highest defensive selection since Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington went 1-2 overall in 2000.

Rosenhaus has read, or led, the room, as Carter currently projects in the top four of most NFL mock drafts. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. mocks Carter to the New York Giants at No. 3, as does Mike Band of NFL.com's Next Gen stats, who suggests that the Giants still could go quarterback.

Mike Renner of CBS Sports also likes Carter to the Giants, writing that, "You just don't pass on this type of talent even with a crowded edge room." Even Carter appears to be projecting himself to the Giants, posting a photo of New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor during his visit to East Rutherford.

"The Carter tweet with the “Once a Giant, Always a Giant” on it, complete with a picture of Lawrence Taylor, was a pretty smart way to leave East Rutherford," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote. "It looks a lot like the floor for the Penn State star at this point is the third pick."

Meanwhile, former Penn State tight end Tyler Warren will watch the draft with his family instead of in Green Bay. Warren suggested as much at Penn State's Pro Day in March, saying that he preferred a quieter atmosphere on draft night.

Still, Warren will be among the most-watched prospects on draft night, considering he also is one of the highest-ranked players pound-for-pound in the draft. As Breer wrote of Warren and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are among the "cleaner" prospects of the draft but "play positions that traditionally don’t get drafted the same way tackles or edge rushers or receivers or quarterbacks do within the top 10."

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