Abdul Carter 2025 NFL Draft Profile: The most dominant defensive prospect in the draft class

The 2025 NFL Draft class boasts an extremely deep group of talented edge defenders.

While NFL insider Matt Miller lists only three edge rushers with a first-round grade, as many as six may be selected within the first 32 picks because NFL teams covet the position.

DAZN News profiles Penn State Nittany Lions' Abdul Carter, the most talented edge defender in the group, First-team Associated Press All-American, and unanimously projected to be a top-three selection in the draft.

Overview

Carter was primarily an off-ball linebacker for the first two of his three years with Penn State before transitioning to the edge position, after which he was tasked with creating havoc as a pass rusher.

The results of his position switch were incredible. Carter produced one of the most impressive seasons from a college edge defender in recent Big Ten history, recording 66 pressures, 12 sacks , and two forced fumbles.

At 6'3" and 250lbs, Carter has prototypical size for an NFL edge rusher, but he possesses more power and explosion than many of his peers with a similar stature.

He can win pass rush reps in multiple ways, combining an incredible first step with the agility to make offensive tackles look pedestrian in comparison.

Carter brings the run defense traits he learned as off-ball linebacker to bear, including the willingness to set up and take on blockers while maintaining the discipline to track and meet ball carriers in the hole.

Identifying weaknesses in Carter's ability involves nitpicking to a certain extent because he needs to refine rather than develop his technique.

Carter could improve his hand usage, mindful that he cannot rely on elite-level athleticism to beat blockers as often as he did in college.

NFL Outlook

Teams often talk about how they favour drafting college players who have been starters for multiple years.

Carter's sole season as a full-time edge rusher was so prolific that NFL teams should be willing to overlook those concerns.

Moreover, teams should be excited about how quickly Carter has adapted and the potential for him to continue to improve as he continues to master the position.

The most pressing concern may be the stress reaction injury in Carter's foot, first revealed in February.

Time will tell whether the injury affects Carter's draft stock, but it hasn't knocked Carter's unwavering belief that he is the draft's best player on either side of the ball.

Even if the injury slows Carter in his first season in the league, he has everything it takes to become an elite edge rusher in the NFL once he is fully healthy.

2025 NFL Draft Projection

Several teams claim to select the best player available regardless of their team's most pressing needs, but quarterback selections dominate the early picks in every draft.

Therefore, it would be unsurprising if the Tennessee Titans or Cleveland Browns selected a quarterback with the first and third pick, respectively.

Beyond Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, the only other non-quarterback seemingly competing with Carter to be selected inside the top four picks is two-way star Travis Hunter.

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