Potential Giants First-round Pick Abdul Carter Ready For "Blessing" of Playing in NFL

For many top prospects who enter the NFL Draft each year, the road to taking the big stage with Commissioner Roger Goodell and hearing their name called in front of the whole nation is long and arduous, filled with outside noise.

Top college prospects, including Penn State’s edge rusher Abdul Carter, undergo countless rounds of interviews, private workouts, and evaluations, during which the narrative around their NFL candidacy sometimes changes as fast as the weather.

Carter, arguably the most talented prospect in the 2025 class, has been no stranger to it all. In some football circles, he’s been praised as the second coming of Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons. At the same time, evaluators and scouts have had their concerns about his physical shape amid lingering injuries from the tail end of his college career.

Still, Carter is in Green Bay for the opening night of the draft, where he figures to be chosen within the top three selections, preferably to the New York Giants at No. 3, who have been gearing themselves up to take the best available player at that slot before pursuing a quarterback.

Carter will soon find out if he’s Big Apple bound, but regardless of where he lands, he isn’t sweating the last hours of uncertainty either way. If he falls somewhere else when things get crazy on the clock, he’s done a good job of blocking out the outside noise and is just eager for the blessing of living out his dreams in the professional game.

Abdul Carter is asked which team he has the best feeling about ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft: "Definitely New York right now"

He adds he will bring "everything" to the table in the NFL pic.twitter.com/c8bd2rtIL5
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) April 23, 2025

“Obviously I got my own goals where I want to accomplish, but at the end of the day, it'd be a blessing to play anywhere, to go anywhere,” Carter said during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“Obviously, I'm projected to go high, but I'm living out my dream of playing football, making millions of dollars, doing what a million kids around the United States wish they could do. So I'm just trying to take it as really a blessing. I just wanna take advantage of this opportunity that I have.”

Even though tabbing a gunslinger for the future could be argued as the Giants’ most significant need as night one looms, the presence of Carter on the defensive side could help recreate something special that the team hasn’t had in over a decade.

That would be a scary and efficient defensive front, particularly on the edge, where the Giants have already built a nice duo with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. They also have Dexter Lawrence in the middle but could use an additional piece to allow for different matchups and even blast a full-house attack for Shane Bowen on late downs.

Some think if the Giants were to select Carter, that could spell the nearing of an end for Thibodeuax in East Rutherford, but it might not pan out that way. The Giants will likely hold onto the former No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft and see what the group can do with an elite and versatile rookie player brought into the fold.

Carter, who started his college career as an off-ball linebacker, can be inserted into the front or on the edge and create havoc with his special blend of speed and athleticism. What place other than the Big Apple would best shine in the spotlight? But again, if it’s not New York, Carter is ready to introduce his skills to any fan base whose team lands him.

Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) celebrates a tackle on Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) in the first half in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“You are going to get somebody who gives every play a hundred percent effort,” Carter added. “I'm also gonna bring excitement.”

“I feel like when I'm on the field, I had the most fun or just that energy, that excitement of getting fans into it and getting them into the game. You know, once they do that, when those third downs come about, those critical moments when the crowd chants are always the loudest. That's when I'm gonna be at my best, get my best, get off my best pass rush and making that big play.”

The Giants know they could use that elite pass rush on late downs after they’ve struggled to slow teams down in that regard. In 2024, they ranked 25th in yards allowed per passing attempt and 19th on third-down stops, a number that must be improved if they want to compete with the teams on their schedule this season.

Picking Carter will earn some contention from those who want to see them finally land the answer to their long-forsaken franchise quarterback. That is just the crossroads of where the Giants are—they need to collect for the present and build for the future, and hopefully, they can do both with Carter in round one and a passing partner within the same two rounds.

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