INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former Penn State star Abdul Carter made one thing clear Wednesday: He should be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
Carter was in the first group of players to speak with reporters at the NFL's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis, and he wasted no time declaring himself the top player in the 2025 draft class.
“I feel like I’m the best player in the country and the best player should be picked first," he said. "It’s the work I put in with my dad, who trained me, and all the sacrifices I made, I know I’m the best.”
Of course, such pronouncements have come to be expected during combine week.
Still, Carter certainly has a case after finishing last season with 68 tackles, a Football Bowl Subdivision-leading 23 1/2 tackles for loss and 12 sacks to finish seventh nationally.
He was the Big Ten's top defensive player in 2024 and finished his three-year career with 39 1/2 tackles for loss, 23 sacks and 14 passes defensed.
The question is whether the 6-foot-3, 259-pound Carter is a better fit at defensive end or outside linebacker. Either way, he's likely to be the first or second defensive player selected April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Going No. 1 overall remains a challenge, though.
Since 2007 only three defensive players have been chosen No. 1 overall — Jadeveon Clowney in 2014, Myles Garrett in 2017 and Travon Walker in 2022. Each was chosen primarily because of their pass-rushing ability.
And leapfrogging the top two quarterbacks, Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, or Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter could prove difficult.
“I think quarterbacks have kind of a lock on that or maybe a great pass rusher,” Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Tuesday when asked about a non-quarterback being the top overall selection. “Or maybe a guy that plays six positions like the one from my alma mater. We’ll see.”
Tobin, who attended Colorado, was referring to Hunter, who is listed as a cornerback but hopes to also play receiver in the NFL as he did in college.
Yet Carter believes he can defy the odds and become the third Penn State player to hear his name called first on draft weekend. Tennessee holds the No. 1 overall pick.
"Defensive players impact the game just as much as the quarterback,” the 21-year-old Carter said. “All the teams that have won Super Bowls, they have that one standout player. I feel like I’m that.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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