It's no secret the New York Giants are on a mission to find their next franchise quarterback.
Team brass has spent months on the trail and will continue digging into any and all options to make that a reality.
But if any team knows the value of a franchise pass rusher, the Giants certainly can lay claim to that.
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Just look at their history, not to mention the resources poured into the position since Joe Schoen became general manager three years ago. The first pick of Schoen's tenure, No. 5 overall, was Kayvon Thibodeaux, who will likely have his fifth-year option worth an estimated $16 million for 2026 picked up this spring.
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Then the Giants made a massive trade with Carolina for Brian Burns last March, signing him to a $141 million extension.
That brings us to the here and now, and the question the Giants might be in position to answer in six weeks: would they consider bypassing the chance to select a potential franchise pass rusher for a swing at finding that franchise QB?
Penn State star Abdul Carter believes his position deserves the same level of respect as the one Schoen referenced a day earlier as "the most important position in football."
Apparently the Giants agree - because they have already had their formal meeting with Carter this week, he told NorthJersey.com and The Record as he was ushered from the podium where assembled cameras and reporters verbally poked and prodded for the last 10 minutes or so.
"I feel like you defintely need a franchise edge rusher," Carter said during his media session at the NFL's Scouting Combine on Wednesday morning. "If you look at all the teams that have won Super Bowls, they have one standout defensive player, and I feel like I'm that. The one that comes to mind when I think of one is Von Miller."
ESPN analyst Jordan Reid told NorthJersey.com on Tuesday that Carter has a similar upside as a pro to that of another former Penn State prospect that moved around from off-ball linebacker to the defensive front in rush packages: Cowboys star Micah Parsons.
"We never knew when the light was going to turn on for him," Reid said of Carter. "I think it's a fair comparison to make and not just because he went to Penn State and he's wearing No. 11. Just speaking of the traits and the athleticism and the explosiveness that Abdul Carter does have, and he's in a similar body type as Micah Parsons, so I think he can be that type of player at the next level. We're talking about somebody who can walk in the door as a rookie that can be a 12-sack-plus guy right away."
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With Burns and Thibodeaux already in the fold, Carter was asked Wednesday if his preference was to join a team on which he would immediately become the focus of game plans. Dexter Lawrence, the best at his position in the NFL, is the cornerstone of the Giants' defense.
"My goal is to come in and be The Guy," said Carter, who just turned 21 in January. "If I go to a team that already has guys established, I want to earn my spot anyway. I want to come in and compete right away."
The Giants were seemingly in position in 2021 to draft Parsons, who they scouted intensely. Team brass led by former GM Dave Gettleman and former coach Joe Judge were jumped by the Eagles for wide receiver Devonta Smith, believed to be their first target. Then, with Parsons in play, the Giants traded back to gain a No. 1 pick for the following year and decided to draft wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who did not make it two years before getting released.
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The Cowboys - after trading with the Eagles to help them jump the Giants - selected Parsons, who has become one of the most feared game wreckers when he is on the top of his game.
The irony here is that Carter is born and raised in the Philadelphia area, and he's been a lifelong Eagles fan. In fact, he told the story Wednesday that he and his father went to Super Bowl LIX two weeks ago in New Orleans, knowing full well that was going to be his last game as a fan of his hometown team.
"Whatever team drafts me, I'm loyal to that team," Carter said. On potentially facing the Eagles, he quipped: "They're going to get my best. My best only. Whatever team I'm on, they're gonna get my best."
The 6-foot-3, 248-pound Carter will not work out at the Scouting Combine, participating only in the medical exams and interviews this week. He injured his shoulder at the Fiesta Bowl, and he said Tuesday it was 90 percent healed. His plan is to work out at Penn State's Pro Day next month.
"It's an oxymoron, but it's the controlled violence and the aggression that he plays with," Reid said of Carter. "He's really good with his hands, and you have to remember, this was his very first year playing defensive end. So, three to four years from now, there's no telling how good he can be. It's the combination of the athletic traits, the explosiveness and the potential upside that he has."
The Titans have granted permission to former Pro Bowl linebacker Harold Landry to seek a trade, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That's certainly newsworthy in this respect: could Tennessee be creating an opening for Carter to come in and be their top rusher without making that commitment to secure Landry for the future?
“I feel like I’m the best player in the country," Carter said. "And the best player should be drafted No. 1."
It's going to be fascinating to see what the Giants decide if Carter is sitting there when they are on the clock at No. 3.
