Abdul Carter injury update: Penn State star reportedly makes decision on surgery during NFL Combine

There have been some growing injury concerns for Penn State Nittany Lions star Abdul Carter as he prepares for the NFL Draft where he is expected to be an early first round pick.

A recent foot injury, described as a stress reaction in his right foot became something he reportedly would decide whether or not to get surgery to repair. That would come with an eight-week recovery, taking up most of the pre-draft process.

Now, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Abdul Carter has made the decision not to have that surgery. On top of that, he luckily is expected to be better soon, and the injury was just a scare.

“After consulting with doctors again this morning, the plan is for Abdul Carter to work out at his Pro Day and not have surgery,” Ian Rapoport wrote. “He has reported no pain for what is a small stress reaction in his foot. The belief is, despite the scare, he should be ok.”

The debate for Carter was to have surgery where he’d need a screw inserted in his foot or bypass the surgery, conduct his pro day, and prove to NFL teams that he doesn’t need it. This decision came as the NFL world descended upon Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, one of the most important events in the pre-draft process.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only injury that Abdul Carter has battled. He was already not expected to work out in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine after it was revealed that he’s not fully recovered from a shoulder injury that he suffered in the College Football Playoff and played in the CFP semifinal with back in January.

“We fully expect Abdul to be recovered in time to work out at his pro day at Penn State. And he will perform at a very high level,” his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said.

For his part, Carter is clearly one of the best players in the draft after being dominant in his time at Penn State. In 2024 alone, acting primarily as an edge rusher, Carter had 23.5 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks. He would also become a unanimous consensus All-American.

Penn State’s Pro Day is scheduled for March 28th, about a month after the NFL Combine and about a month before the NFL Draft begins. For now, it looks like that’s when teams will get their best opportunity to work out the star edge rusher.