Patriots draft profile: ‘Dynamic’ Abdul Carter has the makings of an elite pass rusher

Carter is one of the top overall players in this draft.

The New England Patriots used free agency to bolster their defense, adding potential starters and playmakers at all three levels. But after finishing the 2024 season last in the league in sacks, New England still appears to be missing a dominant pass rusher off the edge.

In order to fill the need, the team could dip into a deep and talented group of draft prospects along the edge. That class is highlighted by Penn State’s Abdul Carter, who is one of the top overall players in the draft.

Hard facts

Name: Abdul Carter

Position: Edge

School: Penn State

Opening day age: 21 (10/03/2003)

Measurements: 6’3”, 250 pounds, 9 3/4” hand size, 33” arm length, 79 1/4” wingspan, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 42 games (35 starts) | 1,836 defensive snaps, 209 special teams snaps | 172 tackles, 39.5 TFLs, 5 forced fumbles, 112 quarterbacks pressures (23 sacks, 17 hits, 72 hurries) | 44 targets, 32 catches surrendered (72.2%), 304 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 7 PBUs

Accolades: Unanimous Consensus All-American (2024), Big Ten Defensive POY (2024), Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year (2024), Second Team All-American (2023), First Team All-Big Ten (2023), Freshman All-American (2022), Third Team All-Big Ten (2022)

A three-time all-league defender in High School who also lettered in basketball, Carter stayed home in Pennsylvania as he committed to Penn State in 2022. Starting his collegiate career as an off-ball linebacker, Carter played in all 13 games as a true freshman and went on to led the Nittany Lions with 6.5 sacks to go with 10.5 tackles for loss.

Carter’s sophomore season saw him start all 13 games still at the linebacker position. Despite his statistical production taking a slight hit, Carter’s performance still earned him first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American honors.

Entering his junior season, Carter made the transition from an off-ball linebacker to edge rusher and saw his play and production skyrocket. Despite being relatively new to the position, Carter started all 16 games and led the Big Ten with 12.0 sacks and 23.5 TFLs as he became perhaps the best pass rushing threat in college football drawing comparisons to former Nittany Lion Micah Parsons.

Carter became Penn State’s 15th Unanimous Consensus All-American — the first since Saquon Barkley in 2017 — while also being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The 21-year old then opted to skip his senior season and attend the NFL Draft.

Draft profile

Expected round: 1 (Top 4) | Consensus big board: No. 3 | Patriots meeting: Combine + 30 visit

Strengths: Carter’s game is built around his freakish athletic ability which allows him to explode off the line of scrimmage bend around corners. Among qualified rushers last season, Carter ranked fourth in the FBS with a 22.6 percent pass rush win rate, often winning to the outside with multiple moves — including his ghost move and inside-out fake where his basketball background comes to light.

With his athleticism constantly threatening the edge, Carter has shown the ability to counter to the interior — such as a late takeover in the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon (below). Carter is also a problem on stunts and line games due to his ability to contort his body to avoid interior lineman.

As a run defender, Carter again relies mostly on his athleticism as he knifes through blocks to make plays behind the line of scrimmage (39.5 careers TFLs over three seasons). He also isn’t afraid to do dirty work, however, and can blow back blockers with his explosiveness and sudden power.

Beginning his career as an off-ball linebacker, Carter is also comfortable in coverage where his skillset allows him to easily cover ground. He could be a factor as a dropper in creeper pressures, while Penn State also aligned him over the center/guard at times as a rusher or QB spy to allow him to make plays in space.

Carter’s effort level and compete are never in question on the field. He even played through a shoulder injury in Penn State’s two playoff games and continued to be extremely disruptive with 10 total pressures.

“The tape is dynamic,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “There’s a lot of great qualities of a disruptive pass rusher. Very slippery, loose, sudden player. It was a fun tape to watch.”

Weaknesses: At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Carter is lighter along the edge than most teams are looking for — especially when it comes to the history of rushers that Patriots outside linebacker coach Mike Smith has worked with. He can get held up by bigger blockers at times, but the lack of size results in the juice.

His inexperience along the edge also is seen at times as both a pass rusher and run defender, where discipline working inside can allow quarterbacks and backs to escape to the outside. Carter was also flagged for offsides five times last season (often trying to get a jump off the edge) but none in the final eight weeks of the season.

“Explosive athlete,” outside linebacker coach Mike Smith said of Carter. “He’s still new to that position. You can obviously still see that on film. That’s the first thing you see: You see a guy that’s explosive around the edge, he brings that pass rush ability.

“It’s interesting. I talk about big rushers. These guys are starting to get smaller, you see in college football. It’s something you gotta adapt to… But the way he plays, he’s got an aggressive style of play.”

Off the field, Carter was charged with a misdemeanor assault following an altercation with a tow-truck driver in March 2024. He was ordered to complete five days of community service and an online anger management course. Digging more into the mental side of Carter was something Smith expressed interest in doing on the pass rushers 30 visit — which took place on April 14.

At the NFL Combine, medical tests also revealed a stress fracture in his right foot. With the aid of doctors he opted for rest over surgery.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Following free agency, the top of New England’s edge depth chart currently includes Harold Landry, Anfernee Jennings, and Keion White. Carter would immediately bring a jolt of pass rushing juice to the group which would get him on the field instantly.

What is his growth potential? In his first year as a full-time edge defender, Carter ranked fourth in pass rush win rate, top 10 in both sacks and pressures, and ninth in run stops. With continued development and experience at the position, he has the potential to be a top tier edge rusher who can consistently eclipse the double-digit sack threshold. Similar to Christian Gonzalez and Drake Maye, Carter also enters the draft at just 21 years old after his true junior season.

Does he have positional versatility? Carter will continue to primarily play along the edge after switching to the position prior to last season. But to maximize his skillset any defensive coordinator should take advantage of his versatility. That includes aligning him over the center/guard and dropping him in coverage at the right moments.

Why the Patriots? Both Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel have spent the offseason stating they would like to select the best player available with the No. 4 overall pick. If Carter is there, he will undoubtedly be the best player. He would be the finishing piece to this defense after the offseason additions where New England could potentially force a lethal rush package that includes him, Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and Keion White or Harold Landry.

Why not the Patriots? The biggest question with Carter is whether or not he will even be available when the Patriots come on the clock. If he is available, New England could additionally be turned off by the off-field factors while the phone lines could also be busy for a player of Carter’s caliber. Back in 2023, the Texans traded the No. 12 overall pick, No. 33, and a 2024 first- and third-round pick to move up to No. 3 to select edge rusher Will Anderson. With plenty of needs on the roster, New England could opt for the assets.

One-sentence verdict: If Carter does not come off the board within the top three picks, it should be an easy choice to add a consensus top two player in the draft with his upside at No. 4 overall.

What do you think about Abdul Carter as a potential Patriots target? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.