Days After Declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, Abdul Carter Endorses Himself as the No. 1 Pick

Abdul Carter was decent in his freshman and sophomore years with the Penn State Nittany Lions, but he became a juggernaut as a junior. He led the tough Big Ten in sacks, with 12.5, and he led the entire FBS with 24 tackles for loss. Unsurprisingly, just a few days after Penn State was eliminated from the CFP, Carter announced his intention to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. And he doesn’t just want to be drafted: he wants to go No. 1 overall.

In a kind of season wrap-up post on his Instagram page, Carter included screenshots of Penn State fans saying that he should be the No. 1 pick on April 24. One would think that he agrees with that assessment if he’s including them in an IG post, as Carter only has 11 posts total on his page.

“Abdul Carter, you are one of the greatest to ever do it in the Blue & White. No doubt, 1st overall pick in April,” one fan post read.

The post also included pictures of Carter with his All-American plaque (he was a unanimous selection) at Penn State, as well as other messages of support from fans of the program. That said, his view that he should be the No. 1 pick should come as no surprise, as he also had an uncommon opinion about his chances to win college football’s most prestigious award.

Defensive players don’t win the Heisman

Back in late November, Abdul Carter made his case for the Heisman Trophy. He correctly pointed out the award is meant to go to the top player in college football; there are no specifications that it must be an offensive player. He thus lamented that defensive players never get as much love as they should when it comes to major trophies.

“All the offensive players are recognized as the Heisman or the best player in the country, but there’s also defensive players who make just as much of an impact as those offensive players… I impact the game just as much as [Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter] if not more than them. Defensive players should start getting the same recognition, and we don’t. The Heisman is the top player in the country, and I think I’m that.”

Carter is right about everything he’s saying, though it seems impossible that it will change any time soon. The only pure defensive player to ever win the Heisman in 78 years of awarding the trophy was Charles Woodson in 1998, and even he was also an elite punt returner. This year’s Heisman winner, Travis Hunter, played CB, but he was also a WR1.

It’s the same way with the MVP award in the NFL. Only two defenders have ever won it: Alan Page in 1971 and Lawrence Taylor in 1986. These awards nearly always go to the best offensive player in the league, with little consideration given to the top defensive players across the league when it comes time to vote.

While the Heisman was always a pipe dream, Abdul Carter could very well end up as the No. 1 overall pick. Since 2016, only twice has a top pick not been a QB, and both of those times, it was a pass rusher like Carter. At 6’3″ and 260 pounds, he has incredible short-area quickness, but he can also run a blazing 4.48. This is an edge rush prospect built in a lab.

Carter will likely be the first non-QB selected this year if it’s not Hunter. All the teams at the top could use his talents. However, most of those teams also need QBs. We expect some movement at the top of the draft order as well.

Right now, the New England Patriots, at No. 4, seem a very likely option, since they definitely already have their QB. If not them, the Jacksonville Jaguars would likely pounce at the opportunity to add yet another elite player on the edge next to Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker (who was himself a No. 1 pick) at No. 5. You can never have too many quality pass rushers on your team. Just ask Tom Coughlin.