The New York Giants selected Abdul Carter with the third overall pick of the NFL Draft back in April, hoping he would help fortify the Giants' pass rush.

Considering Carter racked up 68 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks while garnering comparison to Micah Parsons during his final year at Penn State, you could understand why.

New York already had Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge, but Carter was viewed as an NFL-ready prospect who would take Big Blue's defense to the next level.

But here we are, nine games into Carter's rookie campaign, and he has managed just a half of a sack. And that came all the way back in Week 1.

So, is it time to worry about the 22-year-old? ESPN's Bill Barnwell doesn't think so, going as far to say that Carter is the frontrunner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

"Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Carter has 34 pressures. No other rookie has more than 17," Barnwell wrote. "He has 20 quick pressures, the immediate victories that help blow up plays before they form. No other rookie has more than nine, and Carter's total is third among all players (trailing only Nik Bonitto and Will Anderson Jr.). He hasn't been excellent against the run, a teamwide problem for a Giants defense that ranks last in EPA per play against designed rushes this season, but Carter's time is coming. Don't be surprised if he has a more visible second half."

While that's all well and good, at some point, Carter needs to start finishing plays and getting sacks. Yes, you can make the argument that he has helped clear the way for Burns, who has racked up 11 sacks of his own, but a generational talent should be making generational plays.

Imagine if Michael Strahan only registered pressures throughout his career and never actually got any sacks. Would he be viewed as an all-time great? Of course not.

And for what it's worth, Carter hasn't logged a single quarterback hit since Week 4, when he racked up five against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sure, Carter's 75.6 pass-rushing grade at Pro Football Focus is solid, and I understand that he has far and away been the best rookie at applying pressure. But where is the actual production?

Let me be clear: I think Carter will be absolutely fine. I definitely think he will break through at some point, and it would not surprise me if he ends up with five sacks at year's end. But we keep making excuses talking about his pressures and his hurries when we should be talking about sacks.

You don't make Pro Bowls or earn All-Pro selections based on pressures. You don't get in the Hall of Fame with a lot of hurries, either. You need actual numbers.

Even though I still question the Giants' decision to take Carter third overall when they didn't need an edge rusher and had so many other holes, I do think he is a terrific talent and will be a very good NFL player, at least. But we haven't seen it yet.