One consistent takeaway from the first day of New York Giants mandatory minicamp was that rookie Abdul Carter was nothing short of impressive.
Feel free to pick your favorite phrase that you commonly hear about a defensive player turning heads at camp and there is a strong likelihood it was used to describe Carter’s performance on Tuesday.
Abdul Carter Described as an ‘Absolute Monster’ By One NFL Reporter
NFL Reporter for SNY, Connor Hughes, took to X to give his reaction to the first day of mandatory minicamp and didn’t take more than 10 seconds to start talking about how impressive rookie Abdul Carter was on Tuesday.
Hughes said on a video posted on X, “First day of Giants minicamp is over and it would be impossible to talk about this afternoon without mentioning rookie first-round pick Abdul Carter. He was an absolute monster. Yes, there are no pads. Yes, that puts the defense at an advantage. It does not matter. His speed from around the outside, his bend, his versatility to rush inside, outside… It is undeniable and jarring at times. There was a series, second team defense versus second team offense against Jaxson Dart where Carter single handedly ruined three of the four plays by getting to Dart before he was able to plant his back foot.”
Abdul Carter was in the conversation for the top overall player in the 2025 NFL Draft, which makes his impressive performance on Tuesday very encouraging.
Hughes also posted a few other quick observations raving about Carter to X on Tuesday.
Hughes wrote, “And Carter again. That’s three straight disruptions on Jaxson Dart. He’s in backfield almost instantly. Ruining this series. Not Dart’s fault. Doesn’t stand a chance. So much speed off edge.”
Just in case you are a bit skeptical of one Giants’ reporter raving about Carter’s performance, Sports Illustrated’s Patricia Traina also took to X and described Carter as an unwanted house guest in the offenses’ backfield by writing, “Abdul Carter has been living in the backfield this practice.”
The New York Giants already have a formidable pass rush with Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and Kayvon Thibadeaux all having success getting after the quarterback in the NFL.
If Carter’s strong first impression on an NFL field is a preview of things to come, then this New York pass rush could challenge to be the best in the league in 2025.
What are the Expectations for Abdul Carter Entering His Rookie Year?
The list of players in NFL history to record 10+ sacks their rookie season is less than 40 players long. This makes reaching the double digit mark in that category quite rare for rookie pass rushers entering the league.
Yet, one player who Carter has consistently drawn comparisons to throughout the NFL Draft process is Dallas Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons, who tallied 13 sacks back in 2021.
Carter looks like a special talent who can make an instant impact for a Giants’ defense that ranked 23rd in total yards allowed per game.
If Carter manages to seamlessly transition to the NFL with the same explosive playmaking ability we saw from him in 2024 as a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions, then the Giants defense could be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.
