Abdul

Carter

Berry then added that all possibilities remain open with the No. 2 pick and that Abdul Carter’s stress fracture in his foot wouldn’t prohibit them from drafting him. One possible read here is that Berry is hoping his comments spur another team to pay up for the right to draft Carter. The Browns desperately need a long-term solution at quarterback, and if they won’t trade up for Ward, they may eschew Shedeur Sanders and see what they can do later in the draft.

Carter, the consensus All-American who had 12 sacks and an FBS-leading 23.5 tackles for loss in 2024, is widely projected as a top-three pick in next month’s NFL Draft. NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers has the Browns selecting Carter with second overall pick in his latest mock draft released on March 24. During last month’s NFL Combine, tests revealed a stress fracture in Carter’s right foot. Penn State’s pro day is scheduled for Friday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed Carter won’t be working out shortly after Jones’ report.

Schefter made this point while speaking on NFL Live on ESPN. The NFL’s premier insider was confident the Browns would be drafting a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick a month ago. The team hasn’t done anything at quarterback outside of swapping Dorian Thompson-Robinson for Kenny Pickett in a trade. Still, some quarterback dominoes have since fallen and the Browns’ front office may want to get another year closer to the end of Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed contract before spinning the wheel at quarterback again. If that’s the case, the only realistic options for Cleveland are Carter and Colorado’s Travis Hunter.

The Browns are starting their top-30 visits off with the top projected prospects in the draft. Ward and Sanders are the top quarterbacks on the board and very much in play for the No. 2 pick. If the Browns choose to hold off on a quarterback selection, Carter and Hunter are the top non-quarterback prospects on the board. Given the Browns have to manage the Deshaun Watson situation and do not currently have a quarterback plan, Ward and Sanders are the guys to keep an eye on in Cleveland this week.

The Titans will begin their top-30 visits with Miami QB Cam Ward and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders before moving onto Carter and Hunter. While Carter is likely still the favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Titans, it is worth noting that the Titans are prioritizing the quarterback interviews at this time. Davenport notes that the Titans’ “goal is to have visits with the top four prospects before the start of free agency on [Wednesday], Mar 12.”

The Titans now get the opportunity to go in-depth with the 2025 draft class’ top-four prospects. These valuable top-30 visits are one way for the public to parse the mixed signals that NFL front offices begin sending out at this time of the year. If an NFL team opts to host a prospect via an official visit, it suggests they are strongly considering them as draft-day targets.

It was revealed on Wednesday that Carter was dealing with a stress reaction in his right foot that may require surgery. Now, per Schefter’s report, further scans have advised against surgery. Carter will presumably rest and let the injury heal on its own while preparing for his pro day, which is scheduled for March 28th. Drew Rosenhaus doubled down on his statements regarding Carter and his injury, saying, “I couldn’t be more confident that this will be a non-factor where he’s drafted.”

It’s not a fracture, but stress reactions can lead to stress fractures over time. Now, the star pass rusher will have to decide on whether or not he should have surgery to correct the issue. Carter wasn’t expected to work out at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine due to a shoulder injury he suffered last season, but this latest injury is now another thing to monitor. Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said there are “mixed opinions” on whether or not Carter needs surgery, but that he doesn’t expect the injury to impact Carter’s draft status.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody that’s actually done what he’s done in the modern-day football, playing both offense and defense during the course of a season. So he’s definitely a special player,” Borgonzi elaborated. Borgonzi was asked about a handful of the top prospects in the draft in the context of his earlier “generational talent” quote. The quotes show that he praised Hunter fairly generously while mostly avoiding talking about Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter when asked. Is Borgonzi hiding an interest in Carter while being more chatty about someone he intends to pick? It’s easy to read too far into this in either direction. Assuming the Titans don’t take a quarterback, these two seem likely picks for the Titans at No. 1 overall. Unless they trade the pick, that is.

Viewed by many as the top pass rusher in this year’s draft, Carter will still meet with teams and participate in all physical exams at the combine. The Penn State product won’t be working out due to a shoulder injury he suffered in a game last season against Boise State, but has reportedly already been cleared by his doctor to resume training. With Penn State’s pro day set for March 28, Carter will now set his sights to prepping for said pro day, where he is expected to go through drills in front of scouts and coaches.