Carter headlined the Giants’ draft after a stellar career at Penn State, where he became the program’s 15th unanimous All-America selection. After he switched from playing primarily off-ball linebacker to the edge in 2024, Carter was also voted the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. His 23.5 tackles for a loss last season ranked third in Nittany Lions history while his 12 sacks were tied for sixth.
On the school’s all-time lists, Carter capped his college career sixth in sacks (23.0), eighth in tackles for loss (39.5), and tied for 12th in forced fumbles (five). It began in 2022, when he led the team in sacks as a true freshman and was second in tackles and tackles for loss.
All of that made for an easy decision on draft night, which included the Giants trading back into the first round to select quarterback Jaxson Dart 25th overall.
The Giants begin organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday. It will be the first of 10 spring practices, followed by a three-day minicamp before the team breaks until training camp in late July.
“I’m here, I made it to NFL, but I’ve also got to keep putting the work in and working,” Carter said earlier this month at rookie minicamp. “I’m loving it.”