Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Giants Rookie Abdul Carter Earns High Praise From Teammates – Malik Nabers and Russell Wilson Get Real on the Giant’s Latest Sensation

Abdul Carter is the early favorite to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Week 2 of training camp continues for the New York Giants, and with that, the team has a first-hand view of their most recent number three overall draft pick, Abdul Carter, and his true ability.

Carter, who was the first linebacker off the board in this year’s draft, was at one point of time even the favorite to be the number one overall pick. The dominant pass rusher was a top name heading into the draft after a 12-sack performance from 16 games with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Plenty of comparisons have been made of another great pass rusher, from Penn State, the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, but Carter is eager to stand out and carve his own identity. Chasing his dreams from training camp itself, the Philadelphia native has already started winning over his teammates, as evidenced by the praise heaped on him by Russell Wilson and Malik Nabers.

It’s so obvious that Abdul Carter is going to be the next big defensive superstar. pic.twitter.com/hfT8fVXxM3
— JPA Football (@jasrifootball) July 25, 2025

Russell Wilson and Malik Nambers Left Impressed by Abdul Carter

Sportscaster Kay Adams was at the Giants’ training camp recently, where she interviewed several players for her podcast ‘Up and Adams’. Speaking on the topic of Abdul Carter, the rookie’s teammates, in particular signal caller Russell Wilson and wide receiver Malik Nabers, lauded his skillset and acknowledged that he has a great career ahead.

When asked about being lucky not to have to face Carter coming at him during games, Wilson responded that Carter is a special player, and one whose name people are likely to remember for many years.

“Yeah, Abdul Carter is special. We got a lot of great pass rush. I think Abdul is a freak. He wants to make a name for himself. So, I think people are going to remember the name Abdul Carter for a while. God willing, he gets to stay healthy and keeps being who he is. He’s going to have a great career.”

"People are going to remember the name Abdul Carter for a while"

Russell Wilson with some high praise for the Giants rookie pass rusher 🙌@heykayadams | @DangeRussWilson | @Giants @1NCRDB1 pic.twitter.com/D11ERZVff7
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 28, 2025

At the same time, Adams also posed a question to Malik Nabers and what he thought of the Giants’ rookie. Nabers had nothing but admiration for the youngster when he spoke of his teammate calling him an animal on the field.

“That dude is an animal. And I don’t really see it until I go home and watch. But when you watch it, the explosiveness, the ability for him to twerk his body, spin his body, I can’t wait for that. I can’t wait for people to actually see him.”

"That dude is an ANIMAL…"

Look at Malik Nabers' facial expressions when talking about ABDUL CARTER

😮😮‍💨🤐😳🫣

😂 @UpAndAdamsShow @whyguard13 @Giants pic.twitter.com/brmSRLaGnq
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) July 28, 2025

How Good Is the Giants’ Pass Rush?

The Giants’ defensive line and pass rush ability are considered to be a potentially elite unit heading into the 2025 season. New York made essential upgrades to their defense, which now includes top-quality players such as defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, along with Carter as the rookie linebacker.

The Giants also drafted defensive end Darius Alexander in the third round, and he should provide yet another boost on defense. Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux were already a strong presence on that side of the ball for New York, while the addition of pass rusher Brian Burns last season proved to be a good signing.

Abdul Carter wreaking havoc on OTs

pic.twitter.com/GalCRq5PlD
— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) July 28, 2025

Now, with Carter set to enter his rookie year, the Giants have another elite defender who earned a 92.4 PFF pass-rush grade and accumulated 66 pressures along with his 12 sacks last season with the Nittany Lions.

There is no doubt that Carter’s presence will be a huge gain for a new-look Giants heading into the 2025 season. New York, though, is still part of a difficult NFC East division featuring the Cowboys, Commanders, and the reigning Super Bowl Champion Eagles. A lot would be expected from their rookie sensation if they have any chance at improvement this year.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Abdul Carter

Malik Nabers

New York Giants

NFL

Russell Wilson

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!