Abdul Carter, Penn State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Carter was a four-star recruit from La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pa. in the class of 2022

Penn State’s Abdul Carter is making the transition from linebacker to edge rusher this season. His world-class explosiveness and athleticism make him one of the favorites to claim a first round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Abdul Carter, Edge Penn State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside linebacker from Philadelphia, Pa.

Background: Carter was a four-star recruit from La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pa. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 287 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 232 for Rivals, and No. 222 for On3.com. Carter was an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. He lettered four times in high school and was La Salle College’s team captain and MVP as a senior. The program captured a PCL Championship after going 9-2 in 2021. In his final season, Carter totaled 78 tackles with ten tackles for loss and two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two passes defensed. He earned All-Philadelphia Catholic League selections three times and All-State honors twice. Carter was invited to the All-American Bowl. He also lettered in basketball at La Salle College.

Injuries & Off-Field: Headed to the injury tent vs. Michigan State (2023), exited bowl game vs. Ole Miss with lower body injury (2023), charged with misdemeanor marijuana in fall of 2023, drew a misdemeanor assault charge from a March 2024 incident with a tow truck driver

Awards: 2022 Second Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Third Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 Freshman All-American (ESPN, FWAA, PFF), 2022 ECAC DI FBS Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2023 First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Second Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2023 Second Team All-American (Sports Illustrated), 2023 Honorable Mention All-American (PFF)

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, elite of elite athlete, loose athlete, physical traits help him recover from missteps, quick and sudden feet, instant acceleration, pursuit and straight line speed, elite closing burst, glides across the turf, sideline-to-sideline range, twitch and agility help him avoid blockers, speed to beat combo blockers to their landmarks, some reps of stack, peak, and shed vs. climbing centers, patiently waits for an alley to the ball carrier, stays square to the RB in the gap, reads the quarterback’s eyes, tries to undercut throws, mostly keeps head on a swivel in coverage, excellent depth in zone drops, bails from mugged-up A-gap to cover seam in zone drop, speed to match slot receivers up the seam, range and athleticism to cover RBs, explodes off the line, difficult rusher to mirror, impressive bend and lower body flexibility to turn the corner, detaches lower from upper half, spin move, chop, fantastic speed rush, twitch and quick feet to counter into B-gap suddenly

Cons: Two minor situations with the authorities, 2024 is a positional transition year, arm length is good but not great for an edge, noticeable lack of lower body mass in 2023, a little high-hipped, completely washed away by down blocks, easily overpowered when climbing linemen made solid contact, plays around but not through linemen in the run game, lacks mass to hold POA, bites on misdirection in the run game, run fits run hot and cold, must be more consistent finishing tackles, doesn’t come to balance and slides off tackles, too loose vs. crossers in coverage at times, athleticism should allow him to play tighter in coverage, moved out of position by eye manipulation, lacks consistent pass rush plan, pass rush arsenal is thin, blitzes where he just throws himself at offensive linemen, power rush, hand counters not developed, doesn’t maximize hands, easily driven around the pocket by linemen

Overview: Carter played off-ball linebacker for Penn State in 2023 but is transitioning to a 5-tech and wide-9 outside linebacker role in 2024. This evaluation will look at his traits and playstyle from both an edge and off-ball perspective. He is an elite of elite athlete in the 2025 class but doesn’t possess the best build for an edge rusher. Even after adding weight in the offseason, Carter lacks ideal lower body mass for a defender playing along the line of scrimmage. His arm length is passable but not great, and he’s high-hipped. Carter is a loose athlete with the quick and sudden feet, acceleration, burst, and straight line speed to recover from missteps when lining up off the ball. His testing at the NFL Combine will be eye-popping, regardless of the position he’s evaluated at. Carter possesses sideline-to-sideline range, but he can also win attacking downhill. He has the agility and twitch to avoid climbing blockers and the speed to beat linemen to their landmarks. He even has some examples of stacking, peaking, and shedding against centers. However, the Pennsylvania native prefers to play around and not through linemen because of the difference in play strength. Climbing linemen often overpower him when they make solid contact at the second level. These play strength issues follow Carter when he’s lined up along or close to the line of scrimmage. Down blocks take him completely out of plays, and he lacks the mass to hold the point of attack. While playing off the ball, Carter stays square to the running back while patiently waiting for an alley to the ball carrier to open. However, the junior bites on misdirection, taking himself out of plays. His run fits are inconsistent as he sometimes plugs the wrong gap. Carter is not a consistent finisher as a tackler. He flies in and doesn’t come to balance, which causes him to slip off tackle attempts. In coverage, the former four-star recruit reads the quarterback’s eyes to help him undercut throws. He has insane range that allows him to bail from a mugged-up A-gap look to cover the deep seam in zone. Carter matches some slot receivers and tight ends step-for-step on vertical routes. His range and athleticism also make him a natural running back neutralizer on routes out of the backfield. Carter should play tighter coverage and place more faith in his athletic gifts. Similar to the run game, eye manipulation and misdirection move him out of position. The All-Big Ten selection explodes off the line when rushing as an outside linebacker. Offensive tackles struggle to mirror the speedy rusher. Carter’s impressive bend and lower body flexibility help him turn the corner and shorten his path to the quarterback. His incomplete pass rush plan includes spins, chops, speed rushes, and twitchy counters into the B-gap. That’s a very barren toolbox to work with and requires significant improvement to justify top-shelf draft capital. Carter lacks a power rush and hasn’t developed hand counters to maximize his upper body. Mobile linemen easily drive him up and around the pocket. The instances appear minor, but Carter had situations involving the police in the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024.

Overall, Carter might be the most athletic prospect in the 2025 class, but it could take more than a year for him to accrue the physical and technical development needed to transition from being an All-American-caliber off-ball linebacker to a first round edge rusher. His smoothest path to the NFL is still as a weakside linebacker, but he has the foundational athletic traits to succeed as an explosive, bendy 3-4 outside linebacker.

Role & Scheme Fit: Weakside linebacker, developmental 3-4 outside linebacker

Round Grade: Late First to Early Second Round

Size: 6'3", 250 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-07-24