Penn State star DE Abdul Carter dealing with foot injury that may impact his ranking as No. 1 overall pick

INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State star defensive end Abdul Carter already wasn’t planning to work out at the NFL Combine because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the college football playoffs.

A foot injury revealed Wednesday night apparently won’t derail his plans to attend his school’s pro day. Nor, according to his agent, his chance of being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN that medical testing taken at the combine discovered a stress reaction in Carter’s right foot. One of the options for Carter was to have a screw inserted into his foot, a procedure that would keep him sidelined for eight weeks.

Rosenhaus said Thursday that doctors have advised against Carter having surgery, which puts him back on track to perform in at least a limited capacity at Penn State’s pro day in late March.

“Either way, worst-case scenario, we don’t expect this to impact where he is drafted,” Rosenhaus told ESPN. “After visiting with teams this week, I believe he’s going to be the No. 1 overall pick.”

Tennessee holds the No. 1 overall pick and was expected to take Carter before the news of his latest injury broke. The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars round out the top five.

When he met with reporters earlier Wednesday, Carter said he was progressing from the shoulder injury he suffered against Boise State. He already had decided not to take part in the workout Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium with his fellow defensive linemen.

Carter estimated his health was at 90%.

“These next couple months, this next month, I feel like it’s really going to start getting close to 100,” he said.

Looking ahead to Penn State’s pro day, which will take place in late March, Carter said he was ready to “perform at an elite level.” Now, his ability to run may be limited because of the stress reaction.

When he met with the media, Carter believed he was on track to be taken first overall.

“I feel like it’s very realistic,” he said. “I feel like I’m the best player in the country, and the best player should be selected No. 1.”

In his junior season at Penn State, Carter had 12 sacks and 23 1/2 tackles for loss while helping the Nittany Lions reach the college football semifinals in the first year of a 12-team playoff.

“He opened things up by being so dominant,” Penn State linebacker Kobe King said Wednesday. “The quarterback may have to get the ball out fast, and they have to game-plan for him, which opened up other areas of the field for guys to make plays. He definitely was a dominant force and played a big part in our defense.”

The last two defensive ends to be selected No. 1 overall were Travon Walker by Jacksonville in 2022 and Myles Garrett in 2017. Both pass rushers, however, weighed about 25 pounds more than Carter, who said his ideal playing weight is 248 pounds.

Carter doesn’t think his size will necessitate a position switch. He has comparable measurables to former Penn State star pass rusher Micah Parsons.

“I ain’t never been too small for nothing my whole life,” he said. “It’s all about heart for me. It’s all about will for me, and I got more of that than anybody.”

For his junior season, Carter switched from off-ball linebacker to defensive end. The move was necessitated by Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac heading to the NFL. Carter saw it as a chance to follow in the footsteps of players selected high in the NFL Draft. Robinson was a first-round pick, and Isaac went in the third round.

“I feel like I’m the next one,” he said. “Just looking at our history with Micah, Chop, Odafe (Oweh), Adisa … Penn State really is Rush U. We turned it into that.”

None of those former Penn State players, though, was selected among the top five picks, let alone the first. Not even Parsons, a perennial NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

“It’s very important to me,” Carter said of being the first player taken. “That’s one of the goals I made before the season. It’s something I always talked about, it’s what I worked for, and I feel like I’m getting close to that. I’ve just got to keep working, keep putting the effort in and accomplish my dream.”

And hope his latest injury doesn’t push him down the draft board.