Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, and Travis Hunter have been the frontrunners for the first overall pick in this year’s draft for a while now. However, ever since Abdul Carter announced his intention to enter the draft, the Penn State product has also entered the mix, with multiple mock drafts projecting him as an early first-round pick. Veteran NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah has gone so far as to call him the best player in this draft class.
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The NFL analyst recently appeared on The Rich Eisen Show, where Daniel was asked if JJ McCarthy would have been the No. 1 pick of the draft this year. While Jeremiah backed McCarthy to go numero uno, he couldn’t resist throwing Abdul Carter’s name in the conversation, essentially dubbing him a better player than the other available prospects.
Calling the DE “an absolute freak show,” Daniel recalled his early memories of being left in awe by Carter’s physical prowess. The analyst and his son, a scout himself, decided to watch a Penn State game from the sidelines to keep tabs on a few pass rushers.
It was during this game that Carter dazzled the analyst with his pace, and Daniel was impressed by the ground covered by the DE. Since then, Carter has grown step by step and has become the best CFB player in Daniel’s eyes.
“I brought my son, who was home from college and he works in recruiting for Baylor and I said, here’s a good test [for you] when you’re watching pass rushers. In the sideline, I pulled up Abdul Carter, and he is two yards ahead of the edge rusher on the other side, who’s a good player, but that’s how fast he was off the ball and how much ground he was covering.”
But why not Shedeur? For starters, the former color commentator noted that Deion Sanders’ son doesn’t have a unique selling point like many of his peers. Be it physicality or technical ability, Daniel argued that the Buffs quarterback doesn’t have any “exceptional” traits in these metrics.
“Some teams are gonna really, really like him, and some teams aren’t… Because he doesn’t have the exceptional size, he doesn’t have an exceptional arm, he’s not an exceptional athlete. He’s really, really solid.”
According to Jeremiah, a good chunk of scouts see Shedeur as a Brock Purdy-type player — a highly accurate, no-nonsense QB who can often deliver the ball where it needs to go. That, according to Daniel, might not be enough, as some scouts are looking for an all-around QB who is physically built, possesses exceptional strength, and excels at quarterbacking.
“I think, as through the spring process, some people that are gonna be traits-based in their analysis, aren’t gonna be as high on (Shedeur).”
While it’s debatable if Shedeur is the best QB of this draft class, what’s not debatable is whether Abdul Carter is the best in his position. The 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year recorded a whopping 68 tackles this year with 24 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks, heading to the college football semifinals.
Apart from being a physical specimen and possessing a lethal dip-and-rip move, what sets Carter apart from his peers is his coverage. In his freshman year, Abdul started as a linebacker, where he didn’t excel much due to his bang-average coverage. However, this season, he adapted his skill set from that of a linebacker to an edge rusher, elevating his game to another level.
A decent ground-covering ability as an LB is a massive add-on when translated to a DE with the same traits. As Daniel noted, Carter is a class apart from his fellow edge rushers and promises to be an exciting prospect for multiple NFL teams.
While Abdul dreams of playing for the Eagles, his qualities will ensure that he gets picked as early as possible. As things stand, the Saints or the Patriots are likely landing spots for the Penn State product.
