While fans have come to love watching the league’s future stars run 40 yards in their underwear, the real reason for the NFL Scouting Combine is for the team doctors to get a look at the players they’re considering selecting in that spring’s NFL Draft. That process didn’t go particularly well for former Penn State defensive end and potential No. 1 overall pick Abdul Carter.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Carter and his agent Drew Rosenhaus are mulling surgery to repair a stress reaction that was discovered in his right foot on Wednesday night.
Carter had already informed teams, through a letter from Rosenhaus, that he would not be working out this week in Indianapolis as he was just recently cleared from a shoulder injury he suffered in Penn State’s College Football Playoff Quarterfinal win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Carter played in the Nittany Lion’s CFP Semifinal Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame – and played exceptionally well – but he was far from 100% and has pushed back workouts to Penn State’s Pro Day on March 28. However, Carter could also be sidelined for that date.
According to Rosenhaus, through Schefter’s report, the former Penn State star has two options:
“One, he could have preemptive surgery, have a screw inserted in his right foot and return to working out and running in about eight weeks,” Schefter wrote in his report. “Two, he could bypass the surgery, conduct his pro day at Penn State on March 28 and prove to NFL teams that he doesn't need a procedure.”
Either way, Carter’s draft stock and status have gotten much murkier. After just one season playing defensive end, Carter was a clear top-five pick and generally considered either the best or second-best player in the 2025 NFL Draft class behind Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Unlike Hunter, who played both cornerback and wide receiver at Colorado, Carter’s transition to the NFL should be easy as a near-every-down pass rusher with off-ball linebacker skills. Micah Parsons already laid the blueprint for success after he became the No. 12 overall pick out of Penn State in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Carter did not struggle with injuries in college. He played over 500 snaps in each of his three seasons at Penn State and was fourth on the team with 734 snaps across 16 games last season. However, with the timing of the injuries to his shoulder and foot, Carter could be labeled as an injury risk and that status could force the Tennessee Titans to select a quarterback, either Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at No. 1 overall.
Behind the Titans, the Cleveland Browns are reportedly interested in finding a replacement for Deshaun Watson at No. 2, and the New York Giants desperately need a QB at No. 3 if they’re unable to swing a trade for Matthew Stafford before draft night. The board could go QB, QB, Travis Hunter, or Travis Hunter, QB, QB, and allow Carter to slide to the New England Patriots at No. 4 overall. Considering the lack of surefire star power in this draft, No. 4 is likely Carter’s floor, but injury concerns could force that unfortunate slide.