The expectations for New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter are through the roof. Maybe even through the stratosphere and all the way to the moon.
Carter didn’t help those expectations shortly after the draft by asking the greatest linebacker of all time, Lawrence Taylor, if he could wear Taylor’s retired No. 56 jersey. He was, of course, rightly rebuffed.
Carter, though, has done nothing to quell the hype since.
He was electric in the spring, although with practices in shorts and t-shirt without real contact judging what was happening on the field with line play was a fool’s errand. He was dominant in training camp. He was impactful in preseason, even though he did not have a sack. In a miniscule 28-snap sample size — so few it made you wonder if the Giants did not really want to show Carter to the rest of the league — he had five pressures. Three of those in just six snaps vs. the Buffalo Bills.
Dexter Lawrence, defensive captain and star defensive tackle, tried to tamp down expectations about Carter when asked about him following one of the joint practices against the New York Jets.
“I don’t know yet,” Lawrence said. “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
The smile on Lawrence’s face when he uttered those words said what he wouldn’t — he knows what Carter can be.
Lawrence’s teammates haven’t held back in speaking about Carter, the No. 3 overall pick out of Penn State.
“He can be as good as he wants to be,” said Chauncey Golston. “The sky’s the limit for him. It’s all about mindset and him going and doing it.”
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen obviously tried to be guarded in remarks about Carter, but the potential he sees came through in these remarks:
“Obviously, the talent shows up out there on the field,” Bowen said. “I think he’s a very instinctive player. Finds ways to get to the football. He’s got a natural feel to dip, to lean, to bend. You see those traits show up out there on the practice field … I like his versatility and what he’s going to be able to bring for our defense.”
Earlier in the offseason, we posted some of the things teammates were saying about Carter. Let’s repeat them:
“That dude is a animal … When you watch the explosiveness, the ability for him to turn his body, spin his body. I can’t wait for people to actually see him … He’s got an arsenal, and I can’t wait for him to unleash it.” — Malik Nabers to Kay Adams
“Jit (is) a dog. He does what he got to do, he’s about his business. All it comes down to is really just making sure that he’s clean with the calls and the adjustments because it is moving a little bit faster. It is a little more detailed than college, but as far as raw athleticism, traits, he got it. I really don’t got to talk too much on him. Y’all have seen it.” — Brian Burns
“He has traits that you can’t teach. Certain things that – everyone has talent because you’re in the NFL, everyone has hard work and determination, but there’s a little thing that God just blessed you with that he has that I can count on one hand that guys in the NFL have. That’s not to put any unrealistic expectations on his shoulders, but I only think the sky is the limit for that kid, I think – even higher than the sky. (He) works hard, good guy, great off the field, great teammate, and I just love going against him. Trust me, the clip yesterday, he got me. I got to admit he got me, but that’s great for me because I’d rather get (got) right now instead of on Sundays. If I can cancel out little things like that, going against a guy like that and a guy like (outside linebacker Brian) Burns, on Sundays, I’m going to lock everything up.” — Jermaine Eluemunor
Here is what defensive line coach Andre Patterson told me early in training camp:
“A lot of guys blow the rush when they get to the top of the rush,” Patterson said. “A lot of guys are quick. A lot of guys are explosive. A lot of guys can go edge to edge. But when they get to the top of the rush, they become mechanical. And as a coach, it takes guys two, three, four years to figure that out.
“Well, he was born with that. That’s the thing that he was born with, that just naturally when he gets to the top of the rush, he has a feel of where to go. And I think that’s the thing that makes him unique.”
Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen said Carter has supreme confidence.
“He (believes he) can do everything. He can win every matchup. He can effectively produce on every play,” Bullen said. “It is supremely ingrained into who he is.”
Carter had the audacity to ask Taylor for his jersey number. He gets comparisons to Green Bay Packers All-Pro edge defender Micah Parsons. They both wore the No. 11 at Penn State.
Golston, who played with Parsons for four years with the Dallas Cowboys, sees it.
“Whenever I see him rushing over the center, that reminds me of what Micah does,” Golston said. “But a lot of, it’s just sometimes when I just be seeing him run on tape, he just reminds me of Micah.”
Carter told The Athletic he won’t be surprised by anything he accomplishes in the NFL.
“My whole life, I’ve been preparing to be in this league, just preparing to dominate,” Carter said.
This Sunday, we get to see the journey to what Carter will become begin in Landover, Md. against the Washington Commanders.
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