A three-win New York Giants squad from a year ago can now potentially boast one of the most terrifying pass-rushing tandems for the season ahead.
The Giants selected Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall selection of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
While the Giants weren't going to pass on one of the draft's few bona fide talents, they made sure to secure a future at the quarterback spot when they traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at No. 25 overall. Dart will join a QB room featuring free-agent signings Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
Carter, viewed by many as the overall top talent of the 2025 class, is now set to be part of a dastardly defensive front overflowing with first-round star power.
With a defensive line anchored on the inside by Dexter Lawrence (2019 first round; Giants) returning from an elbow injury, Carter will head to the edge to combine with Brian Burns (2019; Carolina Panthers) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022; Giants).
"We're going to be dominant," Carter said Thursday, via team transcript. "It's going to be dope just getting to know those guys as a person, getting to know them as men and then getting closer as teammates, and then once we get on the field together, just wreak havoc."
Following the Carter selection on Thursday night, Giants general manager Joe Schoen told reporters they will be exercising Thibodeaux's fifth-year option, adding "Kayvon is going to be here" in 2025.
An explosive edge rusher, Carter was mentored by fellow former Nittany Lion -- and now future division rival -- Micah Parsons and brings that sort of upside to the NFL.
An enticing athlete, Carter is a blur off the edge, owning a sudden burst to get off blockers and the strength and bend to blow past even top-tier linemen. In three seasons in Happy Valley, Carter generated 23 sacks, 39.5 tackles for loss, 13 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and an interception.
Earning 12 sacks and nation-leading 23.5 tackles for loss in 2024, Carter was a unanimous All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Like Parsons, Carter started as an off-ball linebacker before becoming a full-time edge at Penn State. That versatility makes the incoming rookie a movable chess piece who can make life miserable on defenses. Despite a stress reaction found in his foot during the NFL Scouting Combine, Carter didn't miss a game due to injury, playing through nicks and bruises.
Boasting excellent instincts, the 21-year-old plays well against both the run and pass, is rarely fooled, can get downhill fast and plays in the backfield. The pass rusher might not boast a massive frame at 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, which could allow longer tackles to neutralize his rush, but that criticism is nitpicking. Carter is a Day 1 menace off the edge with the relentless effort to pester quarterbacks of any ilk.
Whether it was Bill Parcells' teams led by Lawrence Taylor and Leonard Marshall, or Tom Coughlin's squads buoyed by Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants' greatest success has been had with a plethora of pass-rushing talent.
Though nobody's talking Super Bowl for Big Blue at the moment, stockpiling talent at one of the key positions in the NFL is a tried-and-true move.
"I'm just trying to be a dominant player," Carter said. "Just got to put the work in, trust my coaching, trust my teammates, make sure my teammates trust me, and then there is no limit on who I can be."
With an abundance of top-tier defensive talent up front already, the Giants added the top pass rusher in the 2025 draft class.
