Giants' OLB Abdul Carter an Early Favorite for Defensive ROY

New York Giants Abdul Carter is the current and early favorite to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

The No. 3 overall pick in the draft leads the way, with Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter, who is also eligible for the Offensive Rookie of the Year, right behind him.

Other notable competitors for the DROY award include Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker, 49ers defensive lineman Mykel Williams, and Ravens EDGE rusher Mike Green.

Since 2010, defensive linemen and EDGE rushers have won 11 out of 15 times. Seven of the last 10 winners of the award were pass rushers.

The last non-pass rusher to win the award was New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner in 2022. Before that, it was cornerback Marshon Lattimore who won the award in 2017.

Carter comes out of Penn State as an established pass rusher and defensive playmaker. In 42 games throughout his three-year collegiate career, he piled up 172 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, one interception, and 13 pass breakups.

Last season, he was especially dominant, recording 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss with two forced fumbles. His 93.2 pass-rush grade placed him second nationally amongst EDGE rushers. He also had a pass rush win rate of 22.6%, which put him in the 99th percentile of college EDGE rushers.

Carter's ability to get to the quarterback should translate to the NFL level, but he will have to compete with other solid players to get there first. The Giants have Dexter Lawrence II (who led the team with nine sacks despite missing five games), Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The team also added Chauncey Golston, Roy Robertson-Harris, Jeremiah Ledbetter, and Victior Dimukeje through free agency, and Darius Alexander in the draft to beef up the defensive line.

However, having more talented pass rushers around him could also bode well for Carter. The Giants are likely to rotate their defensive line this season to keep players fresh for crucial plays and passing downs.

Established elite players such as Lawrence, Burns, and even Thibodeaux will draw more attention from the offensive line to start the season. Carter could see a ton of 1-v-1 looks early on in his career, and he has already shown his ability to use his speed and bend to quickly get around linemen and to the quarterback.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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