Green Bay, Wisconsin, will light up on April 24 as teams gear up for the NFL Draft. Many names are in the mix for glory, including QBs Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, CB/WR Travis Hunter, and DE Abdul Carter—some of the most highly anticipated prospects. Teams are digging into players’ histories to avoid any issues down the road, and in that regard, Carter stands out.

The NFL rumor mill is buzzing with insider news about the Penn State defensive end. The latest reports suggest that some medical teams have concerns about his injury history. For those unfamiliar, Abdul Carter suffered a right foot injury during practice and a shoulder injury in playoff games, making teams hesitant to take a risk on him.

Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, recently told ESPN, “He is still finishing up rehab on the shoulder injury he sustained in the Boise State game. He may still do a workout for teams sometime in mid-April.” This update comes as the defensive player has opted against surgery for his injuries. However, not all teams are deterred—some believe in his talent and see him as a future superstar in the league.

The number 2 team in the coming draft order, the Browns, are excited about the DE. Their roster can immensely benefit from his inclusion. With Myles Garrett in the lineup, they can form a lethal duo. Amid all this development, their GM Andrew Berry also showed confidence in the player despite injuries and said, “Not going to be prohibitive to a long, successful career.” That’s right!

Even the Penn State player wants the teams to ignore his medical history. In fact, he wants to see him as a game winner, as a champion.

Abdul Carter talks about his role

While the sport of football is concerned about the quarterbacks and the offense, most teams almost lack the strength or have a gap in the other part of the game. The defense! And in the big games, the defense has to come through. On February 9, during the Eagles vs Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, CB Cooper DeJean completed a pick-six. That broke the inspiration.

This was the point Abdul Carter talked about as we approached the draft. He said, “There’s been defensive players who’ve taken over a game right at the end of Super Bowl, those playoff scenes where you really need that great defensive player and he also makes people around him better. So, I feel like just saying that seeing how defensive players can take over a game, we’re just like a quarterback.” That’s not new.

A few days back, he tweeted a warning to other players, including the signal callers, claiming he was the best player in the draft. He even solidified his position of being the number 1 pick. In 3 years with Penn State, he played 39 games (all starters) and recorded 1 interception, 13 defended passes, 5 forced fumbles, and 172 tackles (104 solo). So, he has helped his team win the crucial moments.

The challenge is part of being a sportsman. Nothing is wrong with that. He worked hard his entire life to become an NFL player. And now that he’s knocking on the door, these things are fine to become the number 1 player of the 2025 season.