Most years, there’s a debate on who the top players are at each position group in the lead-up to the NFL Draft — that debate doesn’t exist with edge defenders this year. Penn State's Abdul Carter is the consensus top pass rusher this year, essentially guaranteed to come off of the board in the first few picks of the upcoming draft. Yahoo Sports' latest mock draft has him going seventh to the New York Jets. Carter led the NCAA with 24 tackles for loss and chipped in 12 sacks for a College Football Playoff semifinal team. Carter is one of those players where it’s apparent why he is the preferred option among all the available pass rushers this year.
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Three scouts who spoke to Yahoo Sports about Carter’s ability unanimously agreed that he’s one of the top players in this year’s class and the clear-cut best edge rusher. One AFC scout believes Carter has 10-sack ability as a rookie and can be a franchise player in the front seven for an NFL defense. Another scout, for an NFC team, compared Carter to the recent Penn State first round edge rushers who have had success in the NFL. This scout believes that Carter is a good deal better than Baltimore Ravens' Odafe Oweh (2021) and Miami Dolphins' Chop Robinson (2024), but doesn’t believe he has the strength and power to be compared to someone like Micah Parsons just yet. Regardless, everyone was in agreement that this is a high-impact prospect with legitimate pass-rush juice for the next level.
The first thing that jumps off the screen with Carter is his get-off. He’s got the physical tools and the wherewithal to get the jump on offensive tackles routinely. Carter didn’t participate in athletic testing as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot, but those tests aren't actually necessary to see just how explosive Carter is and will be as a pass rusher in the NFL. Once he gets off the ball and can time the snap just right, he’s so hard for college offensive tackles to stay in front of.
Those plays are all over Carter’s tape. ...
