Penn State Pass Rusher Abdul Carter Surging up NFL Draft Boards
Penn State Football has produced some of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the past few seasons, and former Nittany Lions linebacker Micah Parsons is arguably the best defensive player in the entire league.
Parsons has taken over the league since he entered in 2021 and will soon be on his way to winning Defensive Player of the Year, but another Penn State star might be his biggest rival for that award for many years.
Current Penn State star edge Abdul Carter has made himself the best in college football, and this upcoming April, he will hear his name in the first few picks of the NFL Draft.
Abdul Carter’s ‘Promising Foundation’ Building NFL Draft Buzz
Carter has the chance to be the second non-quarterback taken, with Colorado’s cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter being the first non-quarterback off the board. Still, the 6-foot-3 edge should hear his name called right after.
With the NFL season in its last full month, many outlets are putting out mock drafts, and one of the best in the industry is The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who released his first mock draft of the season has the Carolina Panthers taking Carter with the fifth overall pick and has high praise for the Junior pass rusher.
“If the Panthers wind up with a top-five pick, almost every position would be an option as general manager Dan Morgan hunts for difference-makers,” Brugler writes, for The Athletic. “A lack of juice off the edge has been a particular problem in Carolina, especially when Jadeveon Clowney isn’t on the field. Brugler wrote. Carter is not yet a finished product and is still learning how to use all of his gifts, but his freaky burst and developing power make for a promising foundation.”
Carolina would be getting a great player who could come in on Day One and help turn their defense around by getting after opposing team quarterbacks.
The 21-year-old pass rusher still has a few more games left in college before he turns pro, and he may add a Big Ten title ring to his finger on Saturday night.
MORE: Penn State’s Four Keys to Beating Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game
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