Penn State defensive star Abdul Carter has declared for 2025 NFL Draft, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN. Carter is regarded as a potential top-10 pick after a monster junior season in which he earned CBS Sports first-team All-America honors. Carter also earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year while finishing the season with 24 tackles for loss and 12 sacks and spearheading the charge for one of the nation’s top defenses. 

With the benefit of playing 16 games, Carter finished the season No. 1 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss in his first full season as a dedicated pass rusher after spending time as an off-ball linebacker in 2022 and 2023. His 65 quarterback pressures ranked second nationally in 2024, and Carter also forced five fumbles over the course of his career.

The former four-star prospect was a star throughout his three seasons in Happy Valley but took his dominance to new heights as a junior. He put his disruptiveness on display in Penn State’s 27-24 loss to Notre Dame on Thursday night in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl with a sack and two tackles for loss while playing through a shoulder injury. Carter was regarded as a game-time decision but suited up and made an impact throughout.

“Abdul, I’m really proud of him,” Penn State coach James Franklin said afterward. “He gutted it out today, showed tremendous mental and physical toughness and was disruptive in the game.”

Carter’s NFL Draft stock

Carter ranks as the No. 8 overall player in the 2025 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings. He is considered the No. 2 EDGE in the class behind Tennessee’s James Pearce and landed as high as No. 4 in the most-recent series of mock drafts from a group CBS Sports draft experts. 

“I see only a few true blue-chip prospects in this class, and Carter is one of them,” said analyst Mike Renner, who projected Carter at No. 4 to the Carolina Panthers. “His twitch is remarkable for a man his size. The Panthers simply need any talent they can get at this point — especially on the defensive side of the ball.”

At 6-foot-3, Carter is on the shorter side for what scouts typically prefer in EDGE players. However, in his CBS Sports draft profile, it’s noted that he “makes up for that with his ability to bend at the waist and flatten at the high side of his rush.”

Impact on Penn State

Carter’s departure is part of a major talent exodus that Penn State will grapple with entering the 2025 season. Defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton and safeties Kevin Winston Jr., Jaylen Reed are also considered top-120 prospects in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings. Veteran defensive tackle Dvon Ellies is out of eligibility, and budding star Zane Durant will have a draft decision to make after a strong junior season.

Offensively, the Nittany Lions will be forced to replace do-it-all star Tyler Warren at tight end. Running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen — both of whom surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in 2024 — have draft decisions to make as well.