2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter

2025 NFL Draft: Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter Draft Profile and Scouting Report

Abdul Carter burst into the spotlight in 2022 as a freshman at Penn State. That season, he made six starts for the Nittany Lions, including the last four games. He finished that season with 11 tackles for a loss, which included 6.5 sacks, while also forcing two fumbles. He backed up that performance in 2023. This season, Abdul Carter has 20 tackles for a loss, which includes 10 sacks as one of the best defensive prospects in the country.

Abdul Carter 40 Time

Projected 40 Time: 4.58 seconds

Abdul Carter is a three year starter on defense for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He’s been projected as a linebacker, but I also believe that he has the abilities to play defensive end, hence our projection of EDGE. When compared to the league average, Carter has the ideal measurable to play linebacker. He is slightly undersized as a defensive end. Our projected 40 time of 4.58 seconds is much quicker than the average.

Abdul Carter has a good ability to set the edge and force the ball carrier back inside. He’s capable of winning off the edge or when redirected back inside. Possesses excellent quickness out of his stance to beat the offensive tackle with a low pad level. Shows to have good patience to let the play develop before exploding with quickness to collapse the pocket. He creates good drive when bull rushing the offensive tackle. Carter is a high-motor rusher that doesn’t give up on plays easily. Finally, he has a full utility belt to beat the offensive line and win the rep.

However, when setting the edge, he will occasionally cheat too far inside or forward, resulting in additional yards for the offense. Furthermore, his footwork can get messy when he drops into coverage when assigned to the slot receiver or tight end. To correct this, he needs to refine his backpedal, rather than trying to overcompensate with his crisscrossed feet.