The pads are on, the tempo is live, and Abdul Carter is looking like a man possessed at training camp.
Just a few weeks into his first camp, the 2025 No. 3 pick has emerged as exactly what New York Giants fans expected him to be coming out of Penn State- and may be even more impressive. And he's already making teams regret passing on him.
He’s explosive. He’s relentless. He’s near unblockable, and seems poised to become a superstar for Big Blue. And the Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite has wasted no time making his presence felt. Rep after rep, he's been throwing around the Giants' offensive line around like rag dolls. And he's only adding more moves to his arsenal.
Abdul Carter’s strong summer gives fans another reason to be excited for Week 1
When discussing the biggest winners and losers of training camp, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport was quick to pinpoint the 21-year-old as one of the biggest standouts from NFL training camps thus far.
“Carter has been consistently dominant no matter where the Giants put him,” Davenport wrote. “If the defense can find a way to get Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Carter all on the field at the same time… Well, let’s just say that Jayden Daniels may need his scrambling ability in the season opener.”
Davenport’s words hold weight, and he might even be underselling it.
Davenport even noted how DC Shane Bowen has moved the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year around the formation, with Carter lining up at edge rusher, three-technique tackle, and even some inside linebacker during camp.
For anyone who watched him in Happy Valley, this should come as no surprise. It is borderline superhuman for a player to record 12 sacks, 68 tackles, and 24 tackles for loss in his first season as an edge rusher.
That kind of production, paired with Carter freak athleticism, is why he has received comparisons to another former PSU defender in Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons– who finds himself in a contract stalemate with Dallas.
The Giants suddenly have the potential for one of the most athletic, versatile front sevens in the league, and Davenport failed to mention Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dexter Lawrence, who clogs the middle.
Now, New York boasts a defensive line that is reminiscent of the legendary Giants defensive lines that featured Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul. The main difference is that those game-wreckers won Super Bowls
At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, it is no surprise that the Pennsylvania native is turning heads. He moves like a linebacker, hits like an edge, and carries himself like a future captain.
His impressive summer isn’t just a flash in the pan: this is a guy who truly belongs in the NFL. And for Giants fans, Week 1 in Washington can’t come sooner.