Giants' Abdul Carter is Under More Pressure Than You Think

When the New York Giants selected Abdul Carter with the third overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, instant results were expected.

The Giants didn't get them.

It took Carter until Week 13 of his rookie campaign to register his first full sack, and while he did go on a bit of a tear afterward, logging 3.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits over his last five games, his overall debut season was disappointing.

Yes, Carter managed 23 quarterback hits on the year overall, and yes, he graded out well with an 84.5 pass-rush rating at Pro Football Focus. But this is a results-driven business, and Carter's actual production was limited.

That cannot be the case this season.

New York took Carter with the expectation that he was a generational talent coming out of Penn State. Not a complementary piece. And while he is still just 22 years old, you can bet the Giants are anticipating a big season from him this fall.

Carter is part of a loaded pass rush that also includes fellow edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, not to mention rookie linebacker Arvell Reese. We also cannot forget defensive end Chauncey Golston, who figures to have a larger role this season.

While Burns and Thibodeaux may eat up some of Carter's sack opportunities, it is not crazy to say that Carter should finish with around 10 sacks in 2026.

Carter has Defensive Player of the Year talent. He is an athletic freak who developed some impressive counter moves as the season went on in 2025, and watching Burns rack up 16.5 sacks last fall absolutely should have helped him.

If the Philadelphia native puts forth yet another underwhelming stat line this year, questions will begin to surface.

Yes, it's not all about the stat sheet, but let's be real here: pass rushers need sacks. Michael Strahan is one of the best defensive ends ever because of his ability to get to the quarterback and finish plays. Just tallying quarterback hits isn't what makes you great. In fact, quarterback hits weren't even officially counted as a stat until 2006.

I do anticipate that Carter will have a strong showing in Year 2. That means something like 50 tackles, 10 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles. But if he finishes with four sacks again, I don't want to hear about the quarterback hits or the advanced metrics.

I want to see Carter actually making plays. And so do the Giants.

The clock is ticking for the former top pick.