Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533674
3 6 A P R I L 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ABDUL CARTER DE | 6-3 | 250 Projection: First-Round Pick Could Abdul Carter end up becoming only the third Penn State player to be chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft? A lot of people think so, and Carter appears to be one of them. On March 7, the All-America edge rusher visited with the Tennessee Ti- tans, owners of this year's top pick. Af- terward, he tweeted a couple of emoji symbols — a smiley face followed by a fist with the index finger extended in a "We're No. 1" gesture. If Carter does indeed expect to hear his name called first when commissioner Roger Goodell takes the stage April 24 in Green Bay, Wis., he's in good company. He has topped mock drafts assembled by Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Tom Fornelli and Kyle Stack- house of CBSSports.com, Rob Rang of Fox Sports, and a host of other lists from the likes of the Detroit Free Press and The San Diego Union-Tribune. There's also plenty of support for Mi- ami quarterback Cam Ward and Colo- rado two-way star Travis Hunter, but the Titans managed only 32 sacks last season, finishing tied with Carolina for the third fewest in the league. That de- ficiency grew even more acute in March when the team released last season's sack leader, linebacker Harold Landry III, to create room under the salary cap. If Tennessee declines to trade the top pick, Carter would look very good in its powder blue uniform. He would, of course, look good in any NFL uniform. In his first and only sea- son as a defensive end at Penn State, the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder led the FBS in tackles for loss (23.5) and was seventh in sacks (12). Carter suffered a shoulder injury in Penn State's victory over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. He played through it in the Orange Bowl nine days later and impressed in PSU's loss to Notre Dame, finishing with 2 tack- les for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup. The next day, he an- nounced that he was forgoing his final season of eligibility to enter the draft. Carter didn't work out at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. He was still recovering from the injury and also was found to have a stress fracture in his right foot. "I'm really just starting to heat it up again," he said during his visit to In- dianapolis. "I just started training and What They're Saying About Abdul Carter "Carter has the urgency and athletic talent to bombard the stat sheet. He's always first out and first into contact after the snap but can dart into gaps or around blocks as a penetrator. He's willing to scrap at the point of attack; additional time in the weight room might be in order for his move up in class. Carter rushes with a rabid, all-game intensity that's hard for opponents to match." — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com "The Titans would love having Carter ― who isn't working out this week at the combine ― on this defense. He creates so much pressure off the edge with the burst and instincts to get home for sacks. He had 12 of them in 2024, along with a nation-leading 23.5 tackles for loss. For a Tennessee team that was 25th in pressure (29.0%) this past season, sliding him next to Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat makes a lot of sense." — Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN.com BRIGHT BRIGHT AND EARLY AND EARLY A pair of expected first-rounders highlight Penn State's 2025 NFL Draft class Carter led the FBS with 23.5 tackles for loss and was a consensus All-American in his third and final season with the Nittany Lions. MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS