Why Giants OLB Abdul Carter Made a Position Switch in Final Year of College

Giants' first-round draft pick Abdul Carter took something of a gamble for his final season of college football. It paid off handsomely and will serve him well in the future.

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

New York Giants first-round draft pick Abdul Carter was all too willing to put his football future in the hands of his coaches and Penn State. But on one small condition: he wanted to do as much as he could for his teammates and coaches to help them find success.

Such is how Carter, with the blessing of Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin, who, according to long-time Penn State play-by-play voice Steve Jones, first got the idea about changing Carter’s position, made the switch from playing an off-ball linebacker position to the edge.

“James Franklin saw something in the skill set, but it was in some ways, Carter went to them and said, ‘Hey, if you need me to do this, I will do it,” Jones told the Locked On Giants podcast. 

“Carter was really into trying to do this, so (defensive coordinator) Tom Allen helped execute it.”

Some might consider the move risky given how close Carter was to the end of his college career, but it not only helped him boost his draft stock but also put the Nittany Lions' defense in the top ten nationwide (294.8 yards/game allowed).  

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Carter, meanwhile, had a breakout season, recording career highs in tackles (68), tackles for loss (23.5), and sacks (12).

Much like the Giants hope will be the case once they get Carter on the field, his playing edge unlocked a whole new level of options for the Nittany Lions, where Allen took full advantage of the Philadelphia native’s versatility.  

“When it became third and obvious pass, or occasionally could be second and obvious pass, Penn State would go with three down linemen, and they would float Carter in the middle. So you didn't know if he was going to drop if he was going to rush if they're going to swing him off the edge,” Jones said. 

“He became an X-factor on third and obvious when teams had to put the ball in the air. So a quarterback would have to come to the line of scrimmage, and they would have to look at, ‘Okay, who's the Mike? Okay, where's the safety, and where's 11 (Carter)?’ 

“And they had to do that every time because 11 wasn't always lining up on the edge, especially on obvious pass situations. And (Carter) played it really well.”

Carter, the latest in a long line of Penn State linebackers to don No. 11-, joining NFL notables such as Lavar Arrington (Washington/Giants), NaVorro Bowman (49ers/Raiders), Brandon Bell (Bengals/Panthers), and Micah Parsons (Cowboys), was, in Jones’s opinion, “better off the edge in college than Parsons.” 

The production spoke for itself. Carter, whom Jones said worked diligently to improve his take-off and his hand usage to better hold up on the edge, etched his name in the school’s record books, finishing third in single-season tackles for loss (23.5), sixth in single-season sacks (12.0) and career sacks (23.0), eighth in career tackles for loss (39.5), and 12th in career forced fumbles (5).

He also won numerous awards and honors in his final year of college, including the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.

When Action Speaks Louder Than Words

Apr 25, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants first-round draft pick, Abdul Carter takes questions from the media during his introduction press conference. New York Giants | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

An initial impression of Carter is that of a man of few words, but Jones said once the young man gets to know someone, he opens up. 

“He is somebody beloved by his teammates,” he added. 

The feeling is mutual, and to illustrate that point, Jones told of the time Franklin brought in Carter and tight end Tyler Warren to let them know they had been selected as consensus first-team All-Americans. 

“Carter was the first guy in. And when (Franklin) tells him, Carter's like, ‘Coach, thanks so much. This is great. Tremendous. I can't wait to call my mom and dad. I can't wait to go down and share this with my teammates downstairs in the defensive line room and with (defensive line) Coach (Deion) Barnes and (defensive graduate assistant) Coach (Torrance) Brown.’” 

A Giant Future 

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; the New York Giants select Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter as the number three pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The selection of Carter has many people wondering how he might fit into a unit that already has veterans Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edges, plus Dexter Lawrence II and Chauncey Golston up front.

Jones believes Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen probably already has some ideas for pulling that off.

“If you've got those guys on the field together at one point, which one do you try to double? Which one are you saying, 'I need to chip with the tight end'? Which one are you keeping in a running back to get to? Because you can only get to one of them along the way,” Jones said. 

“I think where Carter is special is he's got that burst off the edge. And if you get them all out there … you're going to be able to keep the score down because you're going to have pressure on quarterbacks. 

“Thibodeaux can drop, right? Burns can drop. Carter can drop. So now it becomes what they've created defensively with the Giants, which is a chess game. And you don't have to specialize. 

“You want to put all three guys out there to go with Lawrence? Well, now, to me, the door opens up, and the great beneficiary is going to be the secondary because the offense is going to have to make so many quick decisions because of these three guys.”

This is what the Giant's defense wants, perhaps because, like team co-owner John Mara, they are tired of having their collective ears pinned back by opponents. 

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