Browns: Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter was, at one point, considered a genuine contender to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans. But now it appears Carter, who has missed most of the draft process while recovering from injuries, is slipping down draft boards and could flip the entire first round on its head.
While Miami quarterback Cam Ward is now the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 to the Titans, Todd McShay of The Ringer now reports that Colorado star Travis Hunter, not Carter, is the favorite to go No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns. That would leave Carter on the board at No. 3 for the New York Giants. But McShay also reports that Carter is not a sure thing at No. 3, as the Giants could well opt to draft Shedeur Sanders.
Carter did not work out at the 2025 NFL Draft Combine while recovering from a stress fracture in his foot. He also opted out of Penn State’s pro day due to continuing recovery from a shoulder injury.
“He is still finishing up rehab on the shoulder injury he had from the Boise State game,” his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter at the time. “He may still do a workout for teams sometime in mid-April.”
If Carter goes off the board at No. 3, he’d be paired with Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux to form one of the league’s most explosive young pass rush duos. If not, either the New England Patriots at No. 4 or Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 could fall backward into perhaps the draft’s top prospect.