Updates offered as recently as Wednesday indicated that the New York Giants are prepared to select Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter with the third overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While speaking with Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on Wednesday, Carter sounded like somebody who knew he would officially be welcomed to the league by the Giants on Thursday night.
“It’ll be a blessing to play with those guys,” Carter said about Big Blue edge-rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. “I’m gonna come compete and we’ll form the best pass rush in the league.”
Carter vowed that he will be “all New York” once he’s drafted by the Giants, even though he grew up a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. Per Matt Ehalt of the New York Post, Carter added that he “definitely” feels he will end up with the Giants.
The Tennessee Titans have essentially confirmed they will make Miami quarterback Cam Ward the draft’s first pick. Local and national reporters predicted on Wednesday that the Cleveland Browns will take Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter over Carter at No. 2.
As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Carter as the betting favorite at -800 odds to be the draft’s third pick. Unless the Giants receive a so-called “‘Godfather’ offer” for that choice, they’ll be able to get the young man seen by ESPN’s Matt Miller and other analysts as the top overall player in this year’s class.
Some have suggested the Giants will grab Carter and then look to trade Thibodeaux, as the club has until May 1 to decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option attached to Thibodeaux’s rookie contract. It sounds like Carter thinks he should share a locker room with Thibodeaux and Burns for at least one season.
“You never can have enough pass-rushers,” Carter explained. “Just having that threat, that’s how championships are won — having that pass rush, being able to rush four or five, that’s all good.”
The Giants are expected to draft a rookie for their quarterback room that is currently occupied by Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito. Multiple insiders believe the Giants will take Carter at pick No. 3 and then trade back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart.
