Over 100 years and four Super Bowls later, the New York Giants have always been notorious for their front seven and talented defensive line.
From Carl Banks and Lawrence Taylor to Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Umenyiora to now with Dexter Lawrence II, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter, the G-Men have had some of the best defensive linemen the league has ever seen.
If the Giants' pass rushers weren't scary enough for opposing quarterbacks, adding a player like Carter at this year's NFL Draft will have them up at night.
While Joe Schoen and the Giants had a lot of tricks up their sleeves throughout the draft weekend, picking Carter at No. 3 was a no-brainer, and he was the first defensive lineman off the board.
The 21-year-old was impressive at Penn State last season, leading the team with 12 sacks and the nation with 24 tackles for loss, earning 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Carter has been compared to former Penn State and current Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons, the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. If the Giants get anything like Parsons in Carter in year one, Big Blue fans will be in for a treat.
Abdul Carter named the heavy favorite to be this year's DROY
Pro Football Focus recently released the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates and the best odds for each player they expect to be in contention. They named Carter the heavy favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year (+250).
PFF explains that Carter will get ample opportunities and likely see plenty of one-on-one matchups on the same defensive line as Lawrence II and Burns. If Carter is anything like he was in his final year at the collegiate level, the Giants defensive line will be unstoppable.
After generating 66 pressures last year, PFF gave Carter a 92.4 PFF pass-rush grade. We can expect similar results in 2025 in New York. No opposing quarterback or offensive line is safe when they walk into Metlife Stadium to play the Giants next season.
Some other names to watch out for for the Defensive Rookie of the Year are Jaguars Travis Hunter (+750), 49ers Mykel Williams (+900), and Falcons Jalon Walker (+900). Still, if Carter is anything like the Giants believe they are getting in him, it's hard to bet against him to walk away with some hardware at the end of his rookie campaign.
How could you not be fired up about this defensive line's potential in 2025? There are no excuses why this front seven should not make noise next year and maybe even break a few records.