Quarterback Jaxson Dart was understandably the most-discussed rookie who participated in the New York Giants’ springtime workouts. Thus, pass-rusher Abdul Carter somewhat flew under the radar through the club’s mandatory minicamp that wrapped up on Wednesday.
Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen seems confident that Carter will begin generating plenty of positive buzz as soon as during New York’s regular-season opener versus the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7.
“The traits are pretty much similar to what the tape showed,” Bullen recently said about Carter, as shared by Tom Rock of Newsday. “When we get to practicing real NFL football with pads on, that’ll be the test to see where his technique is at. But as far as his traits, they are pretty much as good as advertised.”
It’s no secret that Giants general manager Joe Schoen wanted to move up from the third overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to the No. 1 spot so he could grab Miami quarterback Cam Ward. The Tennessee Titans ultimately made Ward the draft’s first selection, and Schoen had to “settle” for acquiring the Penn State defensive star who was named the top overall prospect in this year’s class by analysts such as ESPN’s Matt Miller.
Bullen compared Carter’s gifts to those possessed by four-time Pro Bowl selection Chandler Jones and two-time Pro Bowler Haason Reddick.
“[Jones] is the best finisher I’ve been around and Abdul reminded me of that,” Bullen said.
The expectations for Carter are through the roof now that he’s on track to be part of a defense that features fellow pass-rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Carter as the overwhelming betting favorite at +250 odds to claim the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award for the upcoming season. To compare, Jalon Walker of the Atlanta Falcons was second on the list at +1000 odds at that time.
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