Abdul Carter was strolling through the halls of the New York Giants' facility during a pre-draft visit a few weeks ago when something caught his eye.
Hanging on the wall was a picture of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, widely regarded as one of the most dominant defensive players in NFL history.
Carter, who snapped a photo and posted it on social media, will now get his chance to make his mark on the NFL and create his own legacy with the Giants after they selected the Penn State defensive end with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.
“Yeah, L.T., the GOAT, somebody I look up to, somebody I study and one of the greatest players of all time,” Carter said during a video call shortly after he was taken by the Giants.
“I just want to follow in his footsteps,” he added, “just bring dominance back to New York.”
The Giants later traded their way back into the first round to get their quarterback of the future, selecting Mississippi's Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall pick they acquired from Houston. New York sent the Texans its second-round pick (No. 34), a third-round pick (No. 99) and a third-rounder in next year’s draft.
General manager Joe Schoen said Russell Wilson will remain the starting quarterback, giving Dart time to develop.
Carter, who led the country with 23 1/2 tackles for loss and had 12 sacks last season, could make an immediate impact, though. He bolsters a Giants defense that already has solid pass rushers in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns and a strong D-line that includes Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence.
"Adding me to that group, it’s going to be dope," Carter said. “It’s going to be the most dominant group.”
Schoen announced the Giants are picking up Thibodeaux's fifth-year contract option, so the trio could be a problem for opposing offenses for a few years.
“Yeah we going crazzyyy!!!!” Thibodeaux posted on X after New York drafted Carter.
The speedy and explosive Carter was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American pick last season and steadily saw his draft stock soar while also drawing comparisons to former Penn State star and current Dallas Cowboys standout Micah Parsons.
“He’s going to have to be Abdul and do the things we need him to do, but I think he has position flexibility,” coach Brian Daboll said. "He can do a variety of things. He’s extremely athletic for a big guy. He’s played on the edge, he’s played off the ball. How we deploy him, we’ll have to get him here and work with him.
“But smart, he’s got great personality, and again, he was a fun guy to evaluate. He’s a tough guy to block.”
Carter, a native of Philadelphia who grew up an Eagles fan, was originally a traditional linebacker during his first two seasons at Penn State before moving to defensive end last year. The move paid off as the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Carter’s athleticism and elite first step off the ball immediately made him one of college football’s most dominant pass rushers.
And Carter gleaned some things from watching old clips on YouTube of Taylor single-handedly wrecking games.
“Seeing his intensity, seeing the way he thinks, just how dominant he was, how unstoppable he was,” Carter said, “that’s what I aspire to be.”
The Giants, along with many other teams, envision Carter as a dominant force in the NFL, too. And with New York having signed Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency, quarterback wasn’t a pressing need for Daboll and Schoen.
So, with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders available and at times during the past few months rumored to be a target of the Giants, New York instead chose to add another key piece to its defense with Carter before later addressing the quarterback spot with Dart.
“He was always a guy that was on our radar that was a special talent,” Schoen said of Carter. “We were just fortunate to be able to land him.”
Carter didn’t participate in on-field drills at the NFL combine in Indianapolis in February because of a shoulder injury he suffered in Penn State’s win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Carter also was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot during the combine.
“He’s been running, been working out,” Schoen said. “So we’re not really concerned with that at this point.”
During the combine, Carter left no doubts as to who he thought was No. 1 among the draft’s prospects, saying he should be selected first.
He was off by two picks, but believes he ended up exactly where he needs to be.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to be a dominant player,” Carter said. “Just got to put the work in, trust my coaching, trust my teammates, make sure my teammates trust me. And then there is no limit on who I can be.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated Press
