BREAKING: Abdul Carter selected No. 3 overall in 2025 NFL Draft

After much anticipation, Abdul Carter is officially off the board. The star Nittany Lions edge rusher becomes the first Penn State football alumnus selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, going No. 3 overall to the New York Giants during Thursday night’s first round.

Carter was universally viewed as one of the top players in this year’s Draft class, projected as the potential first pick by multiple Draft experts in the months since leaving Happy Valley. Despite lingering injury issues from the Nittany Lions’ College Football Playoff run forcing him to miss workouts at the NFL Combine and Pro Day, the Philadelphia native is considered a can’t-miss prospect at the next level.

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Penn State football edge rusher Abdul Carter. © Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

Carter is the first Nittany Lion selected in the top five of the NFL Draft since Saquon Barkley went No. 2  – also to the Giants – in 2018.

“I always wanted to walk that stage,” Carter said recently. “It’s been a dream of mine. So, just be able to walk that stage, shake the commissioner’s hand, hold up the jersey. That’s been a dream for me.”

Switching from linebacker to edge ahead of the 2024 season, Carter will go down as one of the most productive defenders in Penn State football history. After just three seasons, Carter ranks sixth in program history for career sacks (23) and eighth all-time in tackles for loss (39.5). Carter became the program’s 15th unanimous consensus All-American last fall after leading the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss. He finishes his Nittany Lions career with 172 total tackles over 42 games.

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