Most years, there’s a debate on who the top players are at each position group in the lead-up to the NFL Draft — that debate doesn’t exist with edge defenders this year. Penn State’s Abdul Carter is the consensus top pass rusher this year, essentially guaranteed to come off of the board in the first few picks of the upcoming draft. Yahoo Sports’ latest mock draft has him going seventh to the New York Jets. Carter led the NCAA with 24 tackles for loss and chipped in 12 sacks for a College Football Playoff semifinal team. Carter is one of those players where it’s apparent why he is the preferred option among all the available pass rushers this year.
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Penn State edge Abdul Carter is one of the top overall talents in this year’s NFL Draft class. (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)
Three scouts who spoke to Yahoo Sports about Carter’s ability unanimously agreed that he’s one of the top players in this year’s class and the clear-cut best edge rusher. One AFC scout believes Carter has 10-sack ability as a rookie and can be a franchise player in the front seven for an NFL defense. Another scout, for an NFC team, compared Carter to the recent Penn State first round edge rushers who have had success in the NFL. This scout believes that Carter is a good deal better than Baltimore Ravens’ Odafe Oweh (2021) and Miami Dolphins’ Chop Robinson (2024), but doesn’t believe he has the strength and power to be compared to someone like Micah Parsons just yet. Regardless, everyone was in agreement that this is a high-impact prospect with legitimate pass-rush juice for the next level.
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The first thing that jumps off the screen with Carter is his get-off. He’s got the physical tools and the wherewithal to get the jump on offensive tackles routinely. Carter didn’t participate in athletic testing as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot, but those tests aren’t actually necessary to see just how explosive Carter is and will be as a pass rusher in the NFL. Once he gets off the ball and can time the snap just right, he’s so hard for college offensive tackles to stay in front of.
Those plays are all over Carter’s tape. Even when the offensive tackle is able to mirror his get-off and initially stay in front of him, Carter has a nice repertoire of moves to get himself free. His speed paired with a rip move or a dip under the offensive tackle in pass protection has been a great way for him to get free to bring the quarterbacks down for a sack.
This is where Carter really separates himself from the other pass rushers in this year’s class. He’s the most advanced rusher when it comes to setting up and stringing together moves, which is where his athleticism can help him convert into actually being a productive player on the field. Carter largely relies on speed rush moves, but that’s OK for now because it gives him a high floor to impact the game as a pass rusher right away.
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To his credit, when he was clearly injured in the College Football Playoff against Notre Dame, Carter was still able to have a massive impact on the game with a handful of pressures, including a big-time sack that showcased the burst and agility that teams are enamored with.
Carter’s work as a player in space also helps him shoot through gaps against the run, and his speed can catch offensive linemen off guard when teams run in his direction. He’s fantastic at knifing into a game or getting a tackle off balance and finishing the play in space — which is a skill needed to notch 24 tackles for loss.
Carter’s game is built on quickness and speed. It’s where the base of his production begins, and against college offensive linemen, he was truly lethal. However, there are issues where his lack of weight and play strength caused him trouble on the field. On the instances where Carter couldn’t win off the edge with blinding speed, he could sometimes get stuck in the grasp of a stronger player.
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Speed is an easy way to become a pain for offensive tackles and quarterbacks, but NFL players will adjust, and Carter will need to get stronger to have the strength to consistently get off of stronger tackles who can mirror his speed.
That lack of strength also shows up when teams run at Carter with base blocks and double teams when Penn State aligned him more head up on an offensive tackle. Carter doesn’t quite have the size (yet) to win when teams lean on him in the run game — this is where his finesse style of play shows up a bit more and may limit some of his opportunities early in his career. It’s unlikely that his future NFL team will play him so tight to offensive tackles instead of naturally creating some space by alignment, but the result of these plays give a good indication to where is physically in relation to some of the players he’ll see in the NFL.
The good news is that Carter moves so well in space that he can be used as a true weapon on third down in a variety of roles that allow him to move from a standard edge rusher position. Carter can do damage as a blitzer up the middle from certain sets, but he also can spy quarterbacks and close down passing lanes in the middle of the field when dropping to a more traditional linebacker role.
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For defensive play-callers who like to move their pieces around the front seven, Carter’s versatility and ability to play off the ball will be a valued trait. There are ways to utilize the speed non-conventionally as he adjusts to life against NFL offensive tackles.
What has to be tantalizing for teams wanting to draft Carter is the fact that he still has the frame to add strength and weight as he matures as a player. Carter measured in at the NFL scouting combine at 250 pounds, but he didn’t carry it as well on the field and appeared to be a bit lighter. However, if Carter can stay at 250 in the NFL and maintain his speed, he’ll be on the fast track toward becoming a reliable three-down player.
Carter just turned 21 years old in January, so he still has a ways to go before he fully grows into the player that he’s going to become. With the floor he has due to his speed, explosion and skill as a pass rusher, it’s easy to see why he’s the consensus No. 1 edge rusher in the 2025 draft among media evaluators and teams.
Carter’s NFL landing spot will be fascinating because his role could be rather expansive, depending on the coach he ends up with, but it doesn’t take much to see why people are bullish on his ability this year.
