The 2025 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Abdul Carter NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Edge Rusher
School: Penn State
Size: 6-foot-3, 252 pounds
Class: Junior
2024 stats: 68 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 4 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles
Carter was a four-star prospect who decided to stay in the state of Pennsylvania to play for the Nittany Lions. He was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection as a freshman with 56 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. His play helped the Nittany Lions go 11-2 that season. He played well in 2023, totaling 48 total tackles, six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Penn State won 10 games that season. In 2024, Carter moved to edge rusher, impressing with 68 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He led the Nittany Lions to the CFP semifinals before the season ended.
Following the loss in the Orange Bowl, Carter declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Carter is an elite athlete for the edge position. He has a quick first step at the snap, giving him an edge for the rest of the play. Carter is quick, fast and agile, making him tough to block. He can get around blocks fairly easily. With his movement abilities, Carter is also flexible, which helps him bend around the edge to get to the quarterback.
His awareness is unique for an edge rusher. He diagnoses plays quickly, which is helped by his days as a linebacker. Carter reads plays well, which is good because he was asked to do so many things in college. He reads where runs are going well, but Carter also can read the quarterback on passing plays when he is asked to drop into coverage.
He has some real pass-rush potential for the next level. Carter is a great speed rusher, but he can also convert speed to power. He has shown a good rip move that helps him get after quarterbacks. Since he is still relatively new to the edge rusher position, he has time to add more to his game and become even better at generating pressure.
Carter seemed to pick up edge rusher quickly, but still has a way to go in understanding the position. He could use his length better to help him shed. Carter can also diagnose run-blocking schemes quicker. With more time, he should be able to address these areas.
Right now, Carter mostly wins because of his athleticism and flexibility. He needs to add more pass-rush moves to diversify how he gets to the quarterback. If he adds moves, he can develop a pass-rush plan and become less predictable. Once he gets a decent arsenal of pass rush moves, he can also add counters to help his chances of getting after quarterbacks.
He isn’t the biggest edge rusher at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, so he needs to use all his power. Carter’s pad level gets too high sometimes, making him lose his power and making it hard to shed blocks. Keeping his pad level low will help him win more of his matchups against bigger offensive lines.
Projected Draft Range: Top 10 Pick
Draft Grade: First Round Pick
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