So April’s creeping up, and like always, college football’s top guys are jumping ship for the NFL. And you know what that means? The quarterback carousel is on, and the race is getting tight. Everyone’s glued to these two “generational talent” quarterbacks—Cam Ward, who is sitting pretty at -140 odds, and then you’ve got Shedeur Sanders at +650. While those two top dogs are going at each other’s throats, this 21-year-old from Penn State is sneaking in and grabbing the goods. He’s not just playing along; he’s actually got +175 odds, which is crazy close. Looks like he’s all set to steal the spotlight.

So, the player everyone’s talking about? That’s Penn State’s beast on the defensive line, Abdul Carter. As NFL Rookie Watch puts it, “Abdul Carter’s TWITCH is actually crazy. Carter is reportedly thought to be a better pass rusher coming out of college than even Aidan Hutchinson, Nick Bosa, and Will Anderson Jr.” That’s a bold claim, no doubt. But when you look at Carter’s track record, you can’t just brush it off.

Abdul Carter has consistently wreaked havoc from high school to college. Back in Philly at La Salle, he led as team captain and MVP, recording impressive stats in his senior year with 78 tackles, 10 TFLs, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Then the DE hits Penn State, and it’s like he just cranked it up a notch. 172 tackles, 41 TFLs, 23 sacks, and five forced fumbles in 42 games. Now, you might be thinking, ‘Okay, that’s good, but how good?’ Well, let’s throw some names at you.

Take former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson, Heisman finalist, and all. 41 games, 153 tackles, 15 sacks, 4 forced fumbles. And 49ers DE Nick Bosa? 77 tackles, 17.5 sacks while back at OSU. Texans DE Will Anderson? 115 tackles, 34.5 sacks, but zero forced fumbles while with Bama. They’re all great talents, no doubt. But Carter is putting up numbers that make even them look twice. You can see why everyone’s buzzing about him now.

Adding to the hype train, an NFL scout makes a bold revelation about Carter’s impressive skills, saying, “Since 2015, Myles [Garrett] is the only pass rusher I have graded higher than Carter. He’s the best talent in this draft.” In just nine games, Garrett broke Jadeveon Clowney’s SEC freshman sack record of eight sacks. And if that’s the bar for Carter, it’s just crazy. Here comes the more interesting part.

We all know Myles Garrett’s sticking to his guns on that trade request, despite the Browns trying to talk him out of it. So, they’re definitely going to be hunting for someone who can at least come close to filling his shoes on defense. And Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report? He’s throwing Malcolm Koonce’s name out there. But, honestly, who knows? With Carter’s stock blowing up and the Browns holding that No. 2 pick, they might just go for him instead.

So, what about the team holding that golden ticket, the No. 1 pick? Well, the Tennessee Titans, they just chimed in too. Chad Brinker, their football ops president, straight up said, “We won’t pass on a generational talent with the first pick in the NFL draft. We won’t do that.” So, is that Carter? It’s not just a maybe anymore; it’s a real possibility. However, there’s a slight wrinkle.

Carter hurt his shoulder against Boise State in the CFP quarterfinals, but he played through it. But his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, just announced he’s skipping the Combine drills, focusing on team interviews instead. He’s not sweating the workouts, though. He’s putting all his chips on Penn State’s Pro Day, March 28th, to show what he’s got. And even with the injury, draft analysts are still calling him a top prospect. Fans are right there with them.

Fans going crazy over Abdul Carter

So the whole first-overall pick pressure? Shedeur Sanders, who’s missing his Combine workouts, is definitely feeling more pressure than Cam Ward. Ward’s already sitting pretty at the top of the charts, no sweat. But with Abdul Carter now in the mix, Shedeur’s situation is getting seriously complicated. Why? Well, everyone’s already comparing Shedeur and Cam for that top spot, right? And then you’ve got Titans’ former QB Cody Kessler chiming in, telling them to keep an eye on Ward, saying, “There’s a throw in the bowl game where he’s standing flat-footed and just flicks it to the back of the end zone.” Like, effortless. Now, fans are flooding the Titans with tweets like, “@titans please” for Abdul Carter, and that just throws a wrench into everything for both Cam and Shedeur. It’s turning into a real quarterback and defensive player showdown.

One fan just straight up said, “I could take him.” Meaning, that Abdul Carter is the ONE! And it’s not just fans, analysts are seeing it too. Meanwhile, Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock? It’s taking a dive. CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli’s got him at No. 22 overall, which makes you wonder, are the Titans even his best fit? Then you look at ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s latest mock: Carter goes No. 1 to the Titans, Ward to the Browns at No. 2, and Shedeur… way down at No. 7 to the Jets. That kind of puts Ward and Carter in the driver’s seat, right? But hold on, we’ve also got Travis Hunter and his whole ‘play both sides of the field’ thing. Now teams are still totally split on how to use him, which is throwing a wrench in his draft projection. Bottom line? Right now, everyone’s just screaming for Carter to go No. 1.

The hype around Abdul Carter is straight-up magical. Fans are already throwing out names like Von Miller, with one guy saying, “He looks like young Von Miller.” And that’s no small thing. Miller’s a beast, right? Eight Pro Bowls, four All-Pros, and the Broncos’ all-time sack leader, still going strong. But it doesn’t stop there. NFL scouts are even bringing up Penn State alum Micah Parsons, with draft analyst Matt Miller saying, “This is Micah Parsons, but he’s 260 pounds.” Even SI’s Albert Breer is on the same page, too.

And get this: Lance Deane, Parsons’ own ‘guru,’ went up to Penn State to work out Carter, and he was blown away. He said he definitely sees the Parsons vibe. Abdul Carter’s practice videos are already setting fans on fire, with comments like, “That 3rd rep was fucking filthy damn.”

Oh, and remember his shoulder? He’s sending out letters from Dr. Cooper saying he’ll be cleared for his Pro Day, even though he’s skipping the Combine. Cooper’s checked him out, and he’s not fully healed yet. But fans are like, “If this man can stay healthy, I’m ALLLL for it.” Basically, everyone’s wondering: Is Carter the next legend in the making?