Abdul Carter has been widely considered to be one of the most talented players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 2024 unanimous All-American is coming off a strong season where he recorded 68 total tackles, 43 solo tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and four passes defended.
The New York Giants made him the third overall pick, adding to a defense that ranked 21st in points allowed and 24th in total yards allowed. The struggling unit ranked just 20th in the league, according to PFN’s Defense+ metric. Former NFL general manager Scot McCloughan suggested that Carter will not be a transcendent talent.
Former NFL GM Shares Harsh Take On Abdul Carter
While many expect Carter to be an immediate difference maker for the Giants, McCloughan sees things differently. Speaking during an appearance on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” on Thursday, the former San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders general manager revealed that the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was his highest-rated pass rusher in this year’s draft.
He was then asked if he believes the former Penn State Nittany Lions star will be a ‘transcendent’ talent, responding:
“No, no, no, no. He doesn’t have that structure. He’s going to be a 3-4 outside [linebacker], which is fine, don’t get me wrong. Again, he’s going to rush. That’s the best thing he does. But he can also drop in coverage. If you make him a 4-3 [defensive] end, they’ll dominate him. They’ll put a tight end over him with the [offensive] tackle, and it’s over. He’s just not a real big guy. He’s going to be, maybe 240, maybe, if he’s lucky. I think at his Pro Day, he was like 232 or something.”
When asked if he believes Carter was drafted too high, McCloughan claimed:
“No, because where you’re looking at in the draft, who else are you going to take? He’ll be a good player. I just don’t know if he’ll be great. When you take a guy that early, you want him to be great. You want him to be a Pro Bowler. You want him to be an All-Pro. You want all that kind of stuff.”
Carter will enter the league with lofty expectations, as is the case for any player selected in the top five of the draft. Despite his production in his final year of college, McCloughan doesn’t believe that he will be able to live up to the hype.
