He hasn’t played anything like the third-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and Abdul Carter’s struggles with the New York Giants are as much about what he isn’t doing on the field, as his lapses in professionalism away from the gridiron.
Carter “needs to develop more counters since he can’t simply overwhelm NFL tackles with his speed,” according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. It’s the classic conundrum that often faces highly-touted rookies at risk of becoming draft busts.
Simply put, Carter has to face reality that what worked so often for the Penn State stud in college won’t be enough at the pro level. The fully engaged players learn the lesson quickly in the NFL and add some nuance to their games.
While Carter’s slower-than-expected learning curve is a worry, so is the 22-year-old seemingly not gleaning any knowledge from the experienced edge-rushers on the roster.
That not only speaks to a lack of team spirit among the Giants. It’s also an indictment of limited coaching, as well as for Carter’s erratic professionalism.
Abdul Carter’s Problems Run Deeper Than ‘Tardiness’
Being benched twice in a matter of weeks for missing or being late to team obligations does not reflect well on Carter’s approach to life at this level. Carter is saying all the right things about his need to mature, but the proof will only come from improved preparation and better on-field production.
The latter won’t happen until Carter formulates a more elaborate pass-rush plan. He doesn’t need to over-complicate things, but coming up with one or two core moves outside of a basic speed rush would certainly help.
Not having some extras to his game is why Carter’s logged a mere two sacks during his debut campaign. Yet, Duggan is keen to point out “advanced metrics suggest the sacks will come.”
Perhaps that confidence comes from Carter being credited by Pro Football Focus with generating 44 total pressures. He’s also put 31 hurries and 11 quarterback hits on his stat sheet.
There’s also Doug Analytics citing FTN Fantasy to show Carter leads all pass-rushers in time to pressure at 2.21 seconds. Outpacing Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and rapid Denver Broncos edge Nik Bonitto adds impressive context to Carter’s time.
This number shows the value of Carter’s speed, but he still needs to learn a few more tricks of the trade. There should be no shortage of advice from other members of the depth chart.
Giants Need Collective Approach to Rookie’s Development
It’s not like Carter isn’t surrounded by players who know what it takes to get to quarterbacks in the NFL. Fellow starter Brian Burns is second in the league with 13 QB takedowns and has a Pro Bowl pedigree.
Burns is the template for what Carter can become, but another prominent edge-rusher for the Giants is a possible cautionary tale. It’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, the fifth player drafted in 2022, who has a season with 11.5 sacks on his CV, but otherwise has rarely lived up to the hype, bar the occasional flashes of breakout traits.
If Carter is going to be anything more than sporadically impressive, he’d be wise to learn as much as possible from Burns. That will require Carter being on time for meetings and fully engaged in both the film room and on the practice field.
He shouldn’t waste time starting those processes. Especially since his former position coach, outside linebackers chief Charlie Bullen, is now Big Blue’s interim defensive coordinator.
Bullen wants a more aggressive scheme than predecessor Shane Bowen. That’s good news for primary pass-rushers like Carter, but so far, Bullen hasn’t translated different X’s and O’s into better results.
Fortunately, there are still four games for Carter to put lessons from Bullen and Burns into practice by adding more facets to his pass-rush plan.
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