New York Giants' Abdul Carter named a preseason breakout player
· Yahoo Sports
New York Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter has been named one of 10 preseason breakout players by Yahoo! Sports ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
The third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft endured an uneven rookie year. Carter finished with just 4.0 sacks while playing all 17 games and starting six. He recorded 43 tackles, 23 QB hits, two forced fumbles and two recoveries.
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Yet the underlying pressure numbers stood out. Carter led the NFL with 48 quick pressures and totaled 72 quarterback pressures overall, ranking among the league leaders.
Yahoo! Sports noted the odd nature of his first season, highlighting the gap between his pressure production and sack total. The expectation is that Carter will convert more of those pressures into sacks in Year 2.
Carter had an odd rookie season. He came in with a ton of hype as the third overall pick of last year's draft, and had only four sacks. But the pressure stats were very good. He had the most quick pressures of any player in the NFL last season.
The best guess is Carter turns a lot of those pressures into sacks this season. There's no better way to get off to a good start than having a strong preseason, which would be a good sight for new Giants head coach John Harbaugh. Everyone would be excited to see Carter have a big preseason heading into his second NFL season.
Carter is expected to settle into a full-time role on the right side of the defensive line. The Giants return outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen and will operate under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. The front seven also features Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Tremaine Edmunds and rookie Arvell Reese.
Carter has also drawn attention on NFL.com's All-Breakout Team and as a non-quarterback MVP candidate for the Giants.
With improved continuity and a deeper supporting cast, the second-year player is positioned for a significant leap in production.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' Abdul Carter named a preseason breakout player