Abdul Carter did not have the rookie season the New York Giants dreamed about when they made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Carter wasn’t horrible in his rookie season. He just wasn’t Micah Parsons or Will Campbell, which is the kind of player the Giants believed they were drafting.
Carter’s season was most notable for the two late-season benchings he received from interim head coach Mike Kafka. One benching was for missing a walk-through practice. The second benching was for missing a special
teams meeting.
Various reports indicated that these types of issues had cropped up throughout the season for Carter, who was just 21 years old at the start of his rookie year. They had apparently gone unchecked by then-coach Brian Daboll.
Carter played better after the benchings, getting 3.5 of his 4.0 sacks and 11 of his 23 quarterback hits over the final five games.
Carter checks in at No. 5 on our list of the ’10 most important Giants players of 2026′.
Why?
Because the possibility that he can become the game-wrecking, top-tier edge defender the Giants drafted him to be still exists. If Carter reaches that level, that changes the ceiling for the Giants’ defense.
Carter’s advanced metrics were far more encouraging than his middling sack total:
- Quick Pressures (under 3 secs): 1st
- Avg Time to Pressure (min 375 pass rush snaps): 1st (2.39 secs!!)
- Pressure % (min 375 pass rush snaps): 10th
- Pass Rush Win Rate in True Pass Sets: 11th
- QB Hits per PFF: T-6th
More maturity and understanding of the work involved in being a professional should help Carter turn pressure into real production. Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen is encouraged by what he has seen from Carter.
“He’s off to a great start,” Bullen said at the end of the offseason program. “The mode of operation is the biggest thing that you can look at at this point in the prep for the season.
“Just how he’s been in meetings and how he’s been working, and then how it all translates to the field. It’s been improved. There’s a lot of growth there. I’m excited about where he can go.”
The top 10
- NY Giants’ top 10 most important players: No. 10 — TE Isaiah Likely
- NY Giants’ top 10 most important players: No. 9 — G Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa
- NY Giants’ top 10 most important players: No. 8 — LB Arvell Reese
- NY Giants’ top 10 most important players: No. 7 — DT DJ Reader
- Giants’ top 10 most important players: No. 6 — CB Paulson Adebo
