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Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down placement of Abdul Carter stock, Micah Parsons comparison

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko04/22/25

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Mel Kiper broke down the placement of Penn State EDGE rusher Abdul Carter and where he might go in the draft. Take the No. 1 pick out of it, since that seems to be Cam Ward becoming a Tennessee Titan.

Now it’s a matter of do the Cleveland Browns take Carter or Heisman winner Travis Hunter with the second pick? Should it be Hunter, the Giants are the biggest question mark when it comes to Carter.

Kiper weighed the possibility of New York selecting Carter or going the quarterback route and drafting Shedeur Sanders. One thing’s for certain, Carter is a can’t-miss prospect.

“I guess he is number one on some boards … You can argue Abdul Carter, I get it. He’s been number two for a long time on that board because he is an attacker off the edge,” Kiper said on First Draft. “And when you have the ability to bend and you have the ability to produce, like he did this year after he was moved from off ball to outside, sure, why wouldn’t the Giants want him? When you get the best player on your board at pick number three, it overrides even a quarterback, okay? And that’s where Shedeur comes into play here. 

“Do you take Shedeur Sanders, or do you take Abdul Carter, best player versus positional value and quarterback? Again, they may try to get back into the first round. Who knows where Shedeur is going to go, but I think Abdul Carter, if you’re going to take the highest rate of player, you’re picking three to get the best player on your board, would be phenomenal.” 

Carter drew a lot of comparisons to Micah Parsons, a fellow Penn State alum and No. 11 jersey owner. Kiper agreed with the notion that Carter is that level of player, being able to play multiple positions on defense.

“They look very similar, don’t they,” Kiper said. “And the thing is about Abdul Carter, he had already played and showed what he could do off the ball, and he showed that for two years … (Carter) showed he could do it anywhere on the football field okay … I know the foot injury too, people (I) talk (to) about (it don’t think it’ll) be a problem moving forward. So for Abdul Carter and the Giants, yes you go that route, My thing’s always been with the Giants who was going to be that young quarterback brought in? That’s going to be the issue.”