NFL Draft Shake-Up? Top Prospect Abdul Carter Faces Injury

One player projected to possibly go No. 1 Overall in the 2025 NFL Draft may have suffered a setback that could completely alter things for several teams.

As reported by famed NFL personality Adam Schefter, tests at the NFL Draft combine revealed that Penn State defender Abdul Carter has a stress fracture in his right foot. Schefter also reported that Carter is trying to decide whether he’ll have surgery or not.

His agent Drew Rosenhaus issued the following statement:

“There are mixed opinions on whether [Carter] needs surgery, and we will figure that out in the near future.”

The gifted edge rusher notched 12.0 sacks and 24.0 TFL this past season for the Nittany Lions. His speed off the edge is unparalleled compared to his peers in this draft. Carter has the versatility to rush off the edge with his hand in the dirt, as well as stand in coverage and track smaller players out of the backfield.

Many have compared Carter to former Penn State star Micah Parsons. There’s also a large contingent of NFL personnel reportedly believing that Carter is one of the most talented players in this draft along with Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter.

Tennessee, Cleveland, and New York all need quarterbacks. These three franchises sit atop the draft with Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders looking to be the most likely signal-callers coming off the board. There’s no consensus that either is above the other in the QB pecking order, and many believe this to be a weak quarterback class all things considered.

There’s a case to be made that all three teams could pivot and take a non-QB with next year’s class expected to be far stronger. On the other hand, now with Carter’s injury, one wonders if he’ll drop down outside of the top-five with some team potentially trading up to grab him.