INDIANAPOLIS – Abdul Carter has already been to two Super Bowls. Now he’s ready to play in one.
“You definitely need a franchise edge rusher. If you look at all the great teams – all the great teams that have won Super Bowls – you have to one standout, great defensive player,” the former Penn State star said Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine.
“And I feel like I’m that.”
A shoulder injury suffered in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve will prevent Carter from working out this week – and given he’s widely projected to be among the 2025 draft’s top three prospects, he might not have regardless of his health.
But the Big Ten’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year will likely test off the charts when it comes to confidence. Asked if he should be the No. 1 overall selection, which is held by the Tennessee Titans, Carter replied: “I feel like it’s very realistic. I feel like I’m the best player in the country, and the best player should be selected number one.”
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
He’s already interviewed behind closed doors with the Titans, whose rookie general manager, Mike Borgonzi, has vowed to take a “generational talent” if the team retains its pick.
“I feel like it went well,” Carter said of the meeting with Tennessee.
“I’m impressed with the coaches, I feel like they were impressed with me. They have the number one pick, I want to be the number one pick.”
But is he actually a “generational talent” the Titans can’t afford to bypass?
Carter had 12 sacks last season for the Nittany Lions and led all FBS players with 23½ tackles for loss. He stands 6-3 and said he currently weighs 248 pounds, nearly identical measurements to a player he’s often compared to, Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller … who is most definitely generational. Elite burst and the ability to bend around offensive tackles are also traits Miller and Carter share.
And in terms of intangibles, Carter expresses a willingness to lead and set an example for his teammates on and off the field. He’s also tough, playing in the Orange Bowl nine days after injuring his shoulder and registering a sack among his five tackles even as Penn State’s national championship bid was extinguished by Notre Dame.
‘My teammates needed me,’ he said of the decision to play with the injury.
‘I felt like, leave it all out there and give us the best opportunity to win. And I feel like that’s what I did.’
NFL Network chief draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah lists Carter as his top-rated prospect this year and, given he’s a pass rusher – perhaps the most premium position in the NFL outside of quarterback – thinks the Titans would be wise to choose him.
“I think when you look at the pieces already on that defensive line, and you go out and you get Abdul Carter, I think you’ve got a chance to have one of the best units in the league,” said Jeremiah.
“That’s a good foundation to build off of.”
Carter’s foundation was laid in his hometown, Philadelphia.
“I feel like I’m shaped a lot by my Philly roots,” he said. “It’s my toughness, my grit – I feel like that’s really just the biggest thing I can take from Philly. It really made me into the man I am today.”
It also made him into an Eagles fan for most of his life, and he attended Super Bowls 57 and 59 to cheer his team on, grateful to see them wallop the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month while knowing he’ll soon have to turn in his fan card.
“It was dope, I really just got to enjoy my last year really being a fan – being from Philly, born and raised, supporting the Eagles really my whole life. Got to take my dad to the Super Bowl, just enjoying being a fan one last year,” said Carter, fully aware he could realistically wind up playing for the hated New York Giants, who possess the draft’s third overall pick.
“Whatever team drafts me,” he grinned, “I’m loyal to that team.”
Carter, who wore the famed No. 11 Penn State jersey previously donned by the likes of LaVar Arrington, NaVorro Bowman and Micah Parsons – all eventual NFL stars – plans to work out at the university’s pro day next month and expects to “perform at an elite level.” He’s already resumed training – often with Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher serving as a mentor.
In a few weeks, Carter expects to have answered any questions about his worthiness as a top pick, including the notion he might be undersized for some teams.
“I ain’t never been too small for nothing my whole life,” he said.
“It’s all about heart for me, it’s all about will for me – and I’ve got more of that than anybody.”
All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.
