It doesn’t come as a surprise, but Penn State’s biggest star is off to the next level.
Junior defensive end Abdul Carter will forgo his final year of college eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday morning. The edge rusher widely has been regarded as one of this year’s top overall prospects with an early first-round grade. He will be represented by NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Penn State consensus All American defensive end Abdul Carter has entered the 2025 NFL Draft and hired Drew Rosenhaus, Robert Bailey and Jason Rosenhaus to represent him. “I expect Abdul will be one of the top picks of this draft and a future All Pro,” Drew Rosenhaus said. pic.twitter.com/cvkatLTqHV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2025
In Penn State’s 27-24 Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame, Carter was a force to be reckoned with. He posted five tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. He also added a pass breakup and quarterback hurry, all while dealing with a fairly significant left shoulder injury.
A Philadelphia native, Carter was a star on Penn State’s defense virtually from the moment he enrolled in 2022. His first impression in Happy Valley was a vicious hit at Purdue in the season opener, one that got him ejected from the first game of his career just a few snaps in.
Carter went on an absolute tear from there, finishing second on Penn State’s roster with 56 tackles and first with 6 1/2 sacks. In 2023, Carter put up another 4 1/2 sacks and 5 1/2 tackles for loss.
But then he switched to the defensive end spot, a move that fit Penn State’s needs better and will make Carter a lot more money at the next level. After a bit of a slow start, Carter turned into the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year with 68 total tackles, 12 sacks and 23 1/2 tackles for loss. His TFLs and sacks were best in the Big Ten and top five in the country at the end of Penn State’s playoff run.
