Player comparisons can be annoying for NFL draft prospects looking to make a name for themselves. Perhaps even Abdul Carter is tired of hearing about how similar he is to his good friend Micah Parsons, who sported No. 11 at Penn State a few years before Carter did.
But at least Carter’s player comp list is short, because NFL players aren’t doing what Parsons has done for the Dallas Cowboys since entering the league as a 2021 first-round pick. Carter has the rare double high ceiling of possibly being dominant at multiple positions, edge rusher and off-ball linebacker.
Many say they can play both positions, but edge rushers aren’t dropping back in coverage with ease and off-ball linebackers aren’t consistently winning one-on-one matchups with top offensive tackles. Parsons has routinely done both, to the point that the Cowboys have gone back and forth on what position to list him at on their roster—perhaps an attempt to save a few million on Parsons’s next contract.
Defensive end or linebacker, it doesn’t matter because Parsons will likely end up being the highest-paid nonquarterback in the league before Week 1 this upcoming season. That’s who Carter is being compared to, and why he’s one of two players in the conversation for being the best overall prospect in the 2025 draft. The other, Travis Hunter, has a shot of being a full-time standout at wide receiver and cornerback.
Carter and Parsons have similar skill sets, but Parsons entered the draft as an off-ball linebacker and made a last-minute switch to edge rusher because injuries at the position hit the Cowboys before Parsons’s regular-season debut. Perhaps Carter has an advantage because he made the switch from linebacker to full-time pass rusher before his final season at Penn State. He showed flashes of being a game wrecker, but he’s still considered a raw prospect for the position, which is a bit concerning for some NFL coaches. Sometimes doing too much before mastering one position can be the downfall of the freak athletes.
“Abdul has premier edge traits,” an NFL defensive coach told Sports Illustrated. “He is a raw, unfinished product. He has elite get-off, bend and burst to close. He has natural pass rush instincts that are hard to find. But definitely a work in progress from a tool box standpoint. I personally think there’s more risk in this player than some are making it out to be.”
With Hunter, NFL decision-makers at least know he’s close to being a finished product at his two positions, perhaps the tiebreaker for the Cleveland Browns in the likely scenario of having to pick between Hunter and Carter with the No. 2 pick come April 24 in Green Bay.
And maybe it says something that the Tennessee Titans have made it obvious that they’re probably going to open the draft by making Miami quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 pick over Carter, who’s coming off an injury to his shoulder and reportedly dealing with a foot injury.
Despite the concerns, Carter likely won’t wait long to hear his name called because of his untapped potential. And if he somehow falls outside the top five, there will be a handful of defensive coordinators screaming at their GMs to trade up to get him because of the endless possibilities of having a defensive enforcer capable of playing multiple positions.
Carter and Parsons are a lot alike, but they’re also very different from the rest, making the younger Penn State product the odds on favorite to be the first edge rusher taken off the draft board.
“What separates them, but is always going to make them two different, is they’re probably the only two guys in the league that I can think of at this moment that can play multiple positions at a high level,” says Lance Deane, a personal trainer who has worked with Parsons and Carter. “They’re both freak athletes.
“I think one of the reasons that you can stamp that they’re very similar is that they both have the ability to play multiple positions at a high level in the NFL. And there’s not a lot of guys that you can say that about. It’s deeper than them being good pass rushers.”
Even if teams shy away from giving Carter too much too soon, he can still make his money as a full-time pass rusher. The 6'3", 259-pound prospect is a bit undersized for being an edge rusher, but that’s the same build as Von Miller—a player Carter has said himself he wants to be compared to.
Carter being one of few high-upside players in a draft that lacks blue-chip prospects makes him the No. 1 rated edge rusher at the MMQB. Perhaps as many as seven edge rushers could be taken in the first round later this month.
“This is a group that’s deep in quality, short on blue chip, premium players,” says the NFL defensive coach we spoke to for this story.
Below are the rest of the edge rusher rankings.
2. Jalon Walker, Georgia
The 6'2", 245-pound Walker might not have the same upside as Carter, but he might be more polished as a hybrid player.
“Jalon is a unique, hybrid, matchup impact player,” our NFL defensive coach says. “He can affect the game from a variety of places. It’s the sum of his game rather than the super power of one specific trait that makes him such an impactful player.
“Pressure player off the ball and on the edge. Gives you special scheme flexibility and puts a lot of pressure on offenses from an identification standpoint.”
3. James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Strangely, the 6'5", 243-pound Pearce isn’t high on the rankings of most draft experts. They might be overlooking his elite athleticism. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a team in the top 15 bet on the traits of his that can’t be taught.
“James Pearce has the most talent of anyone in this class,” the NFL defensive coach says. “Whether he realizes it, I’m not sure about that.”
4. Mykel Williams, Georgia
Williams was a bit difficult to evaluate for some because he played through an ankle injury for most of last season. He’s a massive 6'5", 265-pound edge player who showed plenty of flashes with the Bulldogs.
5. Mike Green, Marshall
The 6'4", 248-pound Green often wins at the line of scrimmage because of his impressive get-off speed. He’s perhaps a bit undersized, but makes up for that with nifty hand movements.
6. Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
The 6'4", 285-pound Scourton played with intensity, power and high IQ, which made him a handful for opposing offenses in college. He’s one of two edge rushers our anonymous defensive coach mentioned when asked for sleeper players at the position.
7. Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
The sacks weren’t there in college for the massive 6'6", 290-pound Stewart, but he knows how to create pressure at a frequent rate. He’ll be a problem for offensive lines.
8. Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Jackson was the other sleeper pick from our NFL defensive coach. Teams will be enamored with his unique frame of 6'7", 280 pounds. Plenty of untapped potential.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 NFL Draft Edge Rusher Rankings: Abdul Carter Stands Above the Rest.