Former Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, projected to be a top-five pick in April’s NFL Draft, will not participate in workouts at the NFL Combine this week as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained late in the season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news from Carter’s agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. They indicated that despite not working out at the Combine, Carter is cleared to begin workouts and intends to perform at Penn State’s pro day.
Penn St. DE and potential No. 1 pick Abdul Carter will not work out at the combine because he has not fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered vs. Boise State, according to his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. Carter played through the injury vs. Notre Dame in… pic.twitter.com/SJlgCMKqxl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 24, 2025
Rosenhaus expressed confidence in Carter’s recovery, stating, “We fully expect Abdul to be recovered in time to work out at his pro day at Penn State, and he will perform at a very high level.” The trend of skipping Combine drills has become increasingly common among NFL players; Shedeur Sanders and Ashton Jeanty have opted not to participate as well, focusing instead on interviews. Furthermore, last season, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye also forwent drills.
Carter’s decision is unlikely to negatively affect his draft stock. The 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous All-American has been one of the standout defensive players in college football for the past two seasons, tallying 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in the 2024 season. Social media reacted vigorously to the news, with fans humorously expressing their hopes that Carter might fall to their teams in the draft.
Clearly not a first-round pick.
No team should gamble on him until the 2nd round.
Pick 33 at the earliest. Move him right off your first day board. https://t.co/Zzo5GK9bh0
— Bob Caton (@BobCaton) February 25, 2025
Due to his injury he should fall to pick 10
— Andrew (@Gucci_Gotch) February 24, 2025
Teams selecting 1-31 should have him entirely off their boards because of this
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) February 24, 2025
He’s definitely hiding something serious. He should drop to 11th in the draft
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) February 24, 2025
