Abdul Carter came into the NFL with sky-high expectations. While his underlying stats showed reasons for optimism, he didn't exactly light the league on fire in his first season with the New York Giants.
The edge rusher posted just four sacks. Nothing special for a rookie expected to stroll into superstar status. But NFL analyst Mina Kimes saw something much bigger brewing in Carter's tape. After raving about his skill set, she compared him to future Hall-of-Fame defender Von Miller.
Speaking on the Mina Kimes Show, Kimes said, "The juice off the line of scrimmage is unbelievable. Like on stunts, there are moments where it looks like he is teleporting. The player he actually reminded me of a little bit was Von Miller."
Kimes went on to say, "To me has all of the tools to be a double-digit every year sack player. I think he's so talented. Giants fans, you should be thrilled about him based on what I saw.
Giants' Abdul Carter has a long way to go before living up to Von Miller comparison
Miller is the gold standard for explosive edge rushers. He has spent 14 seasons in the NFL and has produced 138.5 sacks. In the first nine years of his career, he made eight Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro teams. From 2014 to 2018, he recorded five consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks.
Of course, Kimes isn't saying here that Carter's career will mirror Miller's. She's simply comparing skill sets. But hearing the two names mentioned in the same sentence is encouraging.
Giants fans would be beyond thrilled if Carter reached that level of production in his career. As Kimes laid out, the tools are there. Carter has elite burst off the line of scrimmage and can beat any offensive tackle in football around the outside. Still relatively early in his transition from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher, he has already developed a solid set of pass-rush moves.
It's easy to see a major jump in production from Carter in his second season with the G-Men. He finished his rookie year with 66 pressures, ranking 13th in the NFL. If he can convert on more of those opportunities, he could quickly become the consistent double-digit sack player Kimes envisions.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's focus on seeing growth this season. Carter needs a big year to help the Giants' defense reach its potential. He may reach Miller's status one day, but for now, he has a lot left to prove.
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