Former Abdul Carter Coach Explains The Dynamic Patriots Prospect

Located in a suburb of Philadelphia, La Salle College High School is known for churning out scores of NFL coaches, including Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. However, with the NFL Draft nearing, the all-boys private school is currently best known for developing Abdul Carter, a superstar who could fall to the New England Patriots at No. 4 overall.

Quarterbacks are often selected first overall due to the importance of the position, and not necessarily because those No. 1 picks are the most purely talented in their draft classes.

If position needs were cast aside and the Big Boards across reputable networks served as draft guides for NFL organizations, Carter would be selected first or second overall, according to ESPN, The Athletic, Pro Football Focus, The NFL Network, and CBS Sports.

However, with quarterback-starved teams picking ahead of New England at No. 4, the Patriots could see Carter drop beyond the third selection on April 24.

So, who is Abdul Carter?

Outside of his blistering 4.48 speed at a long and chiseled 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, his FBS-leading 24 tackles for loss last season, and his ability to apply immense pressure from virtually anywhere in the box, what should New England fans know about him?

On SI connected with Carter’s former varsity coach John Steinmetz to find out.

It’s fair to say that when it comes to knowledge of the game of football and an ability to describe young men in the game, Steinmetz is as reliable a source you can find. In 2023, he retired from his 45-year coaching career at La Salle.

Did Abdul Carter arrive as a freshman? When you first met him, was it immediately apparent you had something special or did that notion develop over time?

“He showed up, him and his father…They came over to visit with me in the coaches room. He walked in and he was an impressive-looking young man for an eighth-grader going into freshman year.

“It was pretty obvious from the beginning that he was going to be a four-year starter for us. So, he started every game for us from the beginning. He started as an outside linebacker in our 30 defense as a freshman, and we played some 4-4 back then, too.

“Sophomore year, he moved into Will linebacker, and he played that the rest of his career, sophomore, junior and senior year.”

Looking back at his four-star recruiting profile, he was definitely a larger player at that position. At that time, did you see him likely beginning his career at Penn State as a linebacker before transitioning to the edge the way he did? Was that a progression you saw coming?

“A little bit from two perspectives. One is, I think at that point I knew that that was coach (James) Franklin's tentative plan that they thought that that's where he would end up.

“I also would joke with him, I'm like, 'Hey, you know the money is being an edge rusher. Look at what edge rushers are getting paid in the NFL versus linebackers.'

“I don't know that it was like I had the wisdom or the foresight to know he was going to turn into...an edge rusher, but he was still a pretty good linebacker. I had the feeling or the expectation that he would be a really good linebacker at Penn State.

“When they made the decision to move him, I thought he would make that transition pretty successfully because of how athletic he is.”

What’s it like to have a future Power Four superstar & surefire Top 5 overall #NFLDraft pick leading your varsity defense?

I cut up some of Penn State edge Abdul Carter’s high school highlights below.

Stay tuned for my reporting soon on the origin of this dynamic player. pic.twitter.com/Io3qXWR2v2
— Kevin Sinclair (@KevinSinclair_) March 29, 2025

When I watch Penn State film closely, they moved him around everywhere up front on the blitz, and he was unstoppable at times. Did you take note of this?

“That didn't surprise me at all because we did that with him a lot as well. He would play the Will (linebacker). We would step him up on the outside edge and blitz him off the edge. He would spy the more athletic quarterbacks.

“Even in high school, he had what I talked to the kids about, a huge football IQ. He had a great sense for the game. So, we could easily move him around from position to position because he really understood the game well.

“Not all high school kids can do that, right? They start to (say), like, 'Oh my God, what's my role here, my responsibilities, yada, yada, yada.'”

So, you’re saying he had top-level talent but also a very high football IQ, combining in a special ability on the field. Is that about right?

“Well, for a bull anyway, the answer was he was just always faster than everybody. So, even if he forgot his role, he's going to catch the running back eventually. But he showed that kind of ability to play multiple spots in high school.

“We would routinely ask him, 'What do you think?' Especially after the first quarter, we'd do a couple things, and he'd be like, 'You know what? I think I can get past that guy on the edge.' He would always be one of those guys that would pick something up in the film room.

“Like, 'That guy, he's really leaning when he's blocking down,' or whatever. So, we could do a lot of things with him, and we could also rely on him to provide us with valuable information during the game to then adjust accordingly.”

Was there any specific skill that really jumped out at you?

“The weight lifting numbers from the winter session after his freshman year. Our first year with him, we knew he was good. We knew he was athletic, but he was the leader as a freshman in squat at 455 (pounds), broad jump at 9'8", and his deadlift, he was second at 505 (pounds).

“He's, what, 15, I guess at that point. So, I think the thing that jumped out at us was always his athleticism. He was an incredible athlete from the beginning.”

It seems he was a bright kid. What was Abdul like off the field and in the locker room?

“He was definitely quieter. I'll tell you that the unique thing about him is, from an off-the-field perspective, he is a really good chess player. He kicks my butt every time we play. He's pretty sharp. But around school, he was very quiet, and that comes with the territory.

“He came from an inner city school. We're a suburban school. He was the only kid from his grade school that came there. It took him a little while to find his footing, so to speak, in the aspects outside of football.

“He certainly kind of gravitated towards being big man on campus by the time he was done. But he was always quiet. He was always reserved. He was never the rah-rah guy.”

Abdul isn’t just the best edge rusher entering this draft, but possibly the last multiple drafts. He was in the Heisman conversation. He nearly single-handedly took over certain games. He’s considered possibly the best player in the current draft class. Looking back to when he was with you at LaSalle, did any of this exceed the expectations you had for him when he left for Penn State?

“I'm going to answer that in two ways. It was not a surprise to him. He talked about when he was young, being a number one draft pick, and he talked about going to Penn State, and being the number one linebacker because that's what they thought he was going to be.

“He had an enormous vision for himself. He really thought he had a huge upside. It didn't really dawn on me to how good he was going to be until I watched him play freshman year at Penn State.

“He was always bigger and faster than everybody in high school, right? He could run everybody down. But when you saw him playing in the Big Ten against high-level competition, and still being able to play that way, that's when I said, 'He's on his way to potentially being an All American and being a first-round draft pick.’

“It was me seeing how good he was against competition that was equal to his abilities.”

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