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Abdul Carter posts cryptic message after Tennessee Titans meeting

by:Alex Byington•03/07/25•

_AlexByington

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts with the trophy after the game against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) reacts with the trophy after the game against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

Abdul Carter appears to be calling his shot at being the No. 1 overall pick next month. One day after visiting the Tennessee Titans facility on Thursday, the uber-talented Penn State pass rusher tweeted out a pair of emojis — including the extended index finger signifying No. 1.

The Titans own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and have been hosting several of the leading candidates to be selected in the top five over the next several days. Carter’s tweet also came shortly after an ESPN report that Tennessee planned to release veteran pass rusher Harold Landry later Friday.

Landry’s release, which would save the Titans at least $10.9 million in cap space according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, would seem to create an opening on Tennessee’s defense. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Carter would fill the hole nicely.

The Titans hosted Carter on Thursday and are reportedly hosting former Miami quarterback Cam Ward on Friday, with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders set to visit on Monday, according to NFL.com’s Albert Breer. Colorado two-way superstar and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is reportedly set to visit the Titans in two weeks, per Breer.

Carter led the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss in 2024 along with 12 sacks and 68 total tackles while helping lead Penn State to the College Football Playoff national semifinal vs. Notre Dame. Carter has generated buzz as one of the top prospects on the board in this year’s NFL Draft, and there’s even speculation he could go No. 1 overall. If Friday’s tweet is any indication, he certainly seems to believe it.

Abdul Carter injury update: Daniel Jeremiah reveals how stress reaction impacts draft stock

During last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, news broke that Abdul Carter was considering surgery for a stress reaction in his foot. That raised immediate questions about his stock as the potential No. 1 overall pick.

Carter faced two options for the injury. The first was to rest and heal up to complete the pre-draft process in the spring. The other was surgery, which entailed a longer recovery period.

Ultimately, he chose to forego the surgery. But NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said teams didn’t express too much worry about how Carter would bounce back. As long as he comes out of his Pro Day alright, the former Penn State star’s status likely won’t change.

“I didn’t talk to teams that were too overly concerned there,” Jeremiah said on The Rich Eisen Show. “There were the two options – you can kind of rest it and then still go through the process in the spring, or you could have the surgery. I enquired, ‘Hey, if he has the surgery, now it’s obviously a longer recovery. Is that a major issue?’ It sounds like that’s a little more commonplace than maybe I thought. I didn’t gather there was a ton of concern there with him.

“But he goes to his Pro Day, we’ll see. what that looks like. If he comes out of that looking good and feeling good, he’s not gonna move on my list.”

Surgery would’ve meant an eight-week recovery for Carter, meaning he’d be unable to work out until after the NFL Draft in April. By avoiding the operation, he’s able to continue progressing through the spring, including Penn State’s Pro Day on March 28.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.