The buzz, smokescreens, and drama have ended, and the New York Giants selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
For most of the offseason, it seemed like the Giants brass would be taking a quarterback, whether that was Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, or maybe trading back and taking Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart.
Carter is regarded as a generational talent who screams off the edge, wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. In addition to his elite pass-rush package, he can disrupt a run game.
The 6-foot-3 junior had a stellar 2024 breakout season at Penn State. Carter recorded 12 sacks, 68 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and four passes defended.
New York’s general manager, Joe Schoen, and head coach, Brian Daboll, will be working for their jobs in 2025. Whether they’ll need to make the playoffs or show signs of drastic improvement to save their positions remains unknown, but penciling Carter into their defense is a good start.
Carter will fly off the edge with Brian Burnes and Kayvon Thibodeaux, along with inside pressure from one of the game’s best interior defensive linemen in Dexter Lawrence.
Daboll’s team hasn’t had an identity since he took over Big Blue in 2022. Adding a blue-chip talent to a defense that’s better than people think could set the tone for the 2025 season.
They now have one of the best defensive lines in football, a solid linebacker core headlined by Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, and a young but decent secondary. Schoen signed former Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland to a three-year, $45.3 million contract.
The 25-year-old is coming off a shaky season, but he joins a defense that will get after the quarterback, making his life a little easier.
If this defense reaches its full potential, it’ll also take pressure off the offense. Whoever ends up under center, whether Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, will be asked to score fewer points due to their stellar defense on the other side of the ball.
The Giants might’ve landed the best player in this draft class.
