There is always inherent risk when it comes to the NFL Draft year over year, but rolling the dice on a player's transition from the college level to the professional level is a lot different than rolling the dice with a top-10 pick on a player with potential injury concerns. The 2025 NFL Draft is not considered the best in recent memory in terms of the quantity of players considered blue chip talents, so news of Penn State star pass rusher Abdul Carter having a foot injury is not exactly ideal.
Carter is considered the potential first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft class. We've looked at a number of 2025 NFL mock draft scenarios with Carter as the #1 overall player and certainly he plays the right position if that pick is going to be anything other than a quarterback.
But the possibility of medical red flags coming up at the NFL Scouting Combine might be enough to keep the Tennessee Titans -- or anyone trading for the pick -- away.
Abdul Carter has foot injury, expected to work out before 2025 NFL Draft
Doctors told Penn St. DE and projected No. 1 pick Abdul Carter that, after further scans on his right foot, surgery is not advisable. Carter will work out at his March 28 pro day at Penn State.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2025
“I couldn’t be more confident that this will be a non-factor where he’s drafted,”… pic.twitter.com/pHTkIzDcWM
Not being able to work out at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine isn't that big of a deal for Carter, whose production on tape at Penn State will weigh much more heavily towards every NFL team's evaluation. But if you have a medical issue or red flag, it could push even a player of this caliber down the board far enough that some opportunistic team could be looking to pounce.
Carter, for his part, has taken to social media to make sure everyone out there knows that this setback is only temporary...
You can’t stop GREATNESS! Y’all thought I was going that easy? This just gonna make the movie more interesting! See y’all March 28th🦁
— Abdul Carter (@1NCRDB1) February 27, 2025
Bring ya popcorn
#1 OVERALL PICK ♾️, 56 days..
InshaAllah
it’s already written
It's not the temporary inability to work out or even put on a show in a month that will cause NFL teams to pause before investing a top-5 or even top-10 pick in a player with a medical red flag. Carter is going to likely be put through a gauntlet of medical tests by teams in the coming weeks to make sure that this isn't going to be an ongoing issue early on in his NFL career.
And that's where his stock could ultimately fall a little bit. Team doctors are going to have to clear him for the foreseeable future, not just this offseason or even just for 2025. If there's even an inkling that this could be something Carter has to deal with throughout the duration of his rookie contract, he could free fall a little bit on draft night.
We'll see what the coming weeks reveal.