NFL Draft Profile: Abdul Carter, Penn State
Abdul Carter
Defensive End #11
6’3 259 lbs.
Positives:
Bona fide game-wrecker
Explosive speed off the edge
Great ability to bend around the edge. This leaves blocks against him virtually impossible.
Exceptional ability to sniff out screens or other pass plays. Easily drops back into coverage and great ability to crash down when QBs scramble.
A true competitor and known passion for the sport. Played through a shoulder injury in the recent semi-finals of the CFP.
Keeps composure. True team leader
Negatives:
Inconsistent timing of the snap. Too late and early on the his pressure at times
Noticeable trouble when being double teamed.
Trouble covering receivers when dropped back into pass coverage.
Tackles become difficult when he has a guy in space. Trouble wrapping up and taking down players one on one. Open-field tackling
Who is He?
Born January 2, 2004 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Abdul Carter began his journey to become one of the best edge rushers in the league. Carter stayed local all his life by going to La Salle High School in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. He dominated the high school scene and very quickly became a 4-star prospect going into college. Coming out of high school at 6’4 235 lbs in your prospect info, you are sure to receive multiple offers. He then committed to Penn State and played 3 years of college football there. Carter played 42 games at Penn State finishing with 172 tackles and 23 sacks.
What makes Abdul Carter different from other defensive ends is his immediate impact when reaching the college level. Accomplishing 56 total tackles, 6 sacks, and forcing 2 fumbles is sure to turn a lot of heads as a rookie. He continued this domination, and by the time it was all said and done, he finished sixth in Penn State all-time sack leaders. Carter was feared by all offensive lines in college, and looks to bring that aura to the NFL. This film should show just that.
It’s All in The Film
Let’s start it earlier in his collegiate career. Carter had a couple monster games in 2023, obviously one being against rival OSU, another being this game against Maryland. He starts this play at the linebacker position and starts to creep in. The key element that stands out the most in this clip is his ability to time the snap and use his explosiveness to immediately get in the backfield. Carter used his straightforward aggression to easily get through a block and track down the Maryland quarterback. The immediate pressure and timely explosiveness is a key trait we see in Carter’s game.
Sticking with those key traits, is this clip from Carter’s best game of the 2024 season. This comes against Illinois where he finished with 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. Absolute domination is the only way to describe this game from Abdul Carter. This play stood out to me from that game. He showed extreme explosiveness and aggression. After Illinois motioned their two tight ends to Carter’s side of the line, he was able to use his strength to get through two blocks and still be able to tackle the running back.
It’s OSU vs PSU, it just means more. Abdul Carter shows us a perfect example of just how much it means to him. The common trait shown so far has been his explosiveness and aggression, and rightfully so, but here showcases his ability to win blocks with ease by bending around the left tackle. This is an ability that teams will look for out of a defensive end. Carter is lined up at the left end position. His presence is immediately felt as he breezes by the left tackle and takes down OSU quarterback Will Howard. Without a doubt, this is a clip teams should pay attention to.
Continuing in that rivalry game, Carter shows off his true power in this clip. All while being pushed outside at the start and getting held when he got back inside the tackle, he still managed his way to the quarterback. This is an elite play by a defensive end, any play where a defensive lineman gets a sack while being held before should be looked at every time. But, what else are you supposed to do when an elite defenseman beats you immediately like Carter does here.
These two final clips show Carter’s passion and leadership on his team. He is recently coming off a left arm injury he suffered only a week before this game. Keep that in mind through these two clips. Some peekaboo action from Abdul Carter as he reads the designed quarterback run. He first crashes down on the line from the left end position, then immediately comes back to fill a wide open hole. He shows his ability to crash down on the line and read offensive plays easily.
Rounding us out here, is a clip many have already seen for all the right reasons. This was one of my favorite plays by Carter when watching his film. He reads the play the whole way. At first we see him lined up in the left tackle position, on the right side of your screen, then seemingly immediately you see him on the left side of your screen. Carter’s ability to read the back cutting left and using all of his acceleration and speed getting there in time for a tackle for loss is elite level stuff. Watching him cross the entire field and being able to wrap and drop the back should turn all eyes on Carter. This is an elite play that will be a big reason why he goes top 3 in the draft.
What Do We Think?
There is no question Abdul Carter is one of the best defensive ends that has come out of college in some time. He has all the traits to be one of the best ends of all time. Bend like crazy to get past offensive tackles, great acceleration and speed for a defensive end, incredible leadership skills, and all out game-wrecker. Carter dominated his way throughout his entire collegiate career, finishing off with a dominant performance against Notre Dame, even with an injured arm.
He’s not quite all around perfect just yet. There is some polishing he needs to do. Open-field tackling is top of my list. Carter will find himself in the backfield against some very mobile quarterbacks in the NFL. He will seemingly need perfect open-field tackling skills to compete with that, which I think he can get there. Another obvious area he needs some work in is pass coverage. The struggle to contain receivers in the pass game is obvious. He has the sneaky speed and acceleration that can keep in contest with receivers, just needs more work which he will see in his early years.
Regardless of that, Abdul Carter will find himself as an instant starter. A comparison I can see is TJ Watt. Watt came out of an impressive collegiate career with Wisconsin into an instant starter role. Around the same height and weight, both athletes are game-wreckers in every game they play. There has been a difference in both teams' defenses when they are missing as well. Carter has the work ethic to reach the numbers Watt has put up since being drafted, and possibly more.
