New York Giants fans clearly feel a certain way about Abdul Carter.
When the New York Giants selected Abdul Carter with the third overall pick of the NFL Draft last April, there were immediate question marks.
No one doubted Carter's ability to produce, but there were some character concerns from his time at Penn State, and the fact that the Giants already had a pair of dynamic edge rushers in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux made the selection feel somewhat redundant.
But, Carter was viewed as a generational talent, so in the midst of the slight consternation, there was also plenty of hype surrounding the youngster.
Now, here we are, heading into Week 15 of Carter's rookie campaign, and the Philadelphia native has brought Giants fans more exasperation than anything else.
Carter has logged just 31 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the year, and it took him until Week 13 to register his first full sack of the season. Additionally, the 22-year-old has been disciplined multiple times for tardiness my interim head coach Mike Kafka, and some reports indicate that this has actually been an issue all year long for Carter.
New York Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter chases down New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images.So it should come as no surprise that in a poll conducted by Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, Big Blue fans dubbed Carter the team's most frustrating player in 2025, with the Nittany Lions product garnering 34.4 percent of the vote.
Carter definitely has talent, and it's reflected in his peripheral numbers. He owns a 76.5 pass-rushing grade at Pro Football Focus and is 13th in the NFL in hurries and 19th in total pressures.
He has also logged five quarterback hits over his last three games after having not recorded any between Weeks 5 and 10.
There is still a chance that Carter develops into a dominant force along the edge, so the New York faithful can still hold out hope for that. There is plenty of time for him to grow, and recent reports state that he has appeared to turn a corner inside the building.
But because the Giants spent such a high draft pick on Carter when they had so many other needs, there is going to be ample pressure on the youngster to produce in 2026.
Heck, there is still pressure on him to live up to expectations for the remainder of this year. We'll see if he is able to put together another strong performance on Sunday when New York takes on the Washington Commanders.