Abdul Carter established himself as one of the most elite defensive players in Pennsylvania and one of the best linebackers in the country during his high school years at La Salle College High School. He was a four-year starter and played across the linebacking core from 3-4 outside linebacker to will linebacker. That helped him become a four-star recruit whose talents were sought after by the who's who of college football.
2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report - Abdul Carter
Ultimately, he made the decision to go to Penn State, a program rich in linebacker tradition, to try and put his name amongst the many legends who have played the position for the Nittany Lions. At the time, he was known for his athleticism and his motor. He had a frame that could hold more mass, and evaluators believed that his versatility would allow him to have success at any linebacking position on the field.
In the fall of 2022, Carter took his talents to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, staying in the state where he starred in high school. He immediately showed the motor that made him so attractive in recruiting. In his first five games, he totaled 23 tackles, but only one sack. In the second half of his freshman year, he flashed his potential as a guy who can consistently get to the quarterback. He recorded at least a half-sack in five of the last six regular-season games. It seemed like the start of what would be a stellar sophomore campaign. He finished with an All-Big Ten second team selection and a freshman All-American. In his second season, he had fewer tackles and sacks, but he received more accolades. He was first team All-Big Ten, and he was a second team All-American.
Year three was where Carter finally broke out and became the disruptive force that fans, evaluators, and opposing quarterbacks could not keep their eyes off. He finished with 68 tackles and 12 sacks while starting all 16 games of their semifinal run. When watching Penn State’s defense, it is difficult to find a frame in which you don't see Carter. Like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil, he feels like he is everywhere, disrupting everything.
Interestingly enough, all of the exact same things that were said about Carter coming out of high school were said as he declared for the NFL draft.
There are many things to like about him as a prospect and some that may concern you.
What Is Generational?
A generational talent is loosely referred to as a talent that comes along once every 20 years. The term generational refers to all the people born or living at about the same time. The question becomes, does Carter or his talent really fit those definitions?
The quick answer would be no.
That's not said to be disrespectful to Carter or to demean his skillset, it is really because those terms are thrown around far too often in prospect evaluation.
Carter's best attributes are his explosiveness and his motor. There are several other talented edge rushers that have come along this generation who have those talents as well, which means they are not generational.
He does not have generational size, and nobody really knows if he has generational athleticism because he has been dealing with a foot injury, but by watching the film, the guess would be no.
His statistics are not even generational. Terrell Suggs had 24 sacks in a season back in 2002 for Arizona State. Marshall EDGE Mike Green, Carter's contemporary, finished the season with 17 sacks in only 13 games.
Full EDGE rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft
Elite And Ideal
While nothing is really generational, what he does have is a lot of elite and ideal attributes.
At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, he has the ideal size for a modern-day EDGE rusher. His first step explosion is elite, and his ability to win the “first contact” (ability to strike an opponent first) battle is second to none. He possesses elite suddenness, which allows him to dart inside and around the edge without giving away his move. That level of burst and change of direction skills often leads to tackles changing their tactics to protect their quarterback. They open their gate too fast and leave themselves vulnerable to an inside move, like his deadly spin move, or when they open their hips, it allows Carter to bend the corner and have a straight line at the quarterback.
He can overwhelm tackles with his relentlessness. Most offensive linemen are used to blocking for two to four seconds. With Carter, the moment they throttle down or relax like the play is over, he's able to gain an advantage, especially for quarterbacks who like to hold the ball longer than the offense recommends.
He has elite-level hand-fighting skills and knows how to beat bigger offensive linemen with longer arms who may be a little slower with their punch. He works well within the framework of his body, which is why his change of direction is so good and why he rarely gets knocked off his feet. He has predator-like instincts when hunting the quarterback or chasing a ball carrier. He closes the gap on whoever has the ball quickly because he does not waste steps. He is efficient with his movement, especially when he is in open spaces, and that gets him home faster.
Offensive linemen want to react only when necessary, and Cater creates a need for immediate reaction. That explosion off the line, mixed with his hand play, forces action from a pass protector or a run blocker on the backside of a play.
Areas Of Improvement
As effective as Carter is when the ball is going away from him, he is inconsistent when attacked directly. He does not do as good of a job lying off his body when he has to anchor down and protect his gap.
He is less effective when he has to take on a blocker, fit in his gap, and shed the blocker to make a tackle. He does a great job of knocking hands away when he's on the move, but not as great a job with hand play and keeping distance when attacked straight on. His ideal EDGE rusher size is not ideal defensive end size, so bigger, athletic offensive linemen can cover him up and neutralize his effectiveness as a run defender or in the pass rush. The key to neutralizing him is to stop his initial movement off the line. When offensive lineman are able to keep him from attacking their shoulder immediately, he is much less effective in the pass rush.
Like most Collegiate football players, Carter will need to add strength as he transitions to the NFL so that he can better attack bigger, stronger offensive linemen as a friend offender and in the past rush. It is hard to tell if his frame can hold much more than the 250 lb it holds right now, but there's no doubt he can get stronger. That will help him turn speed to power in his pass rush and also displace linemen in his run defense.
He should keep adding tools to the toolbox as a pass rusher in order to continue to give offensive linemen varied looks. When he's at his best, is when he has offensive linemen anticipating his moves and trying to beat him to the spot. The deeper his bag of tricks is, the more dangerous he will be.
