Tom Allen only spent one season in Happy Valley as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, but he, Abdul Carter, and the rest of the coaching staff made a decision that not only drastically altered Carter’s career but the foundation of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Heading into his junior season, Carter was a likely 2025 first-round pick as a linebacker, but once he made the move to defensive end and began to dominate the Big Ten, he shot up draft boards. Now, as the NFL Draft Combine approaches, he appears to be the most coveted player available this spring, not just at edge rusher, but at any position.
Carter is in the mix for the Tennessee Titans, who hold the No. 1 overall pick and is unlikely to fall past the Cleveland Browns at No. 2, who could trade away former No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett this offseason. But how does the rest of the edge rusher market behind Carter look? Will anyone challenge the St1x C1ty legend for the top spot throughout the draft process? And how big is the gap between Carter are the rest of the position group in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Last year the first defensive player didn’t come off the board until No. 15, but in a class loaded with defense talent and high-quality pass rushers, defensive stars could fill the top of the draft and Carter is the cream of the crop.
Heading into combine season, here are my top five pass rushers in the 2025 NFL Draft, who should all be in consideration in the first round.
Abdul Carter
He’s only spent one season at defensive end, so Carter is understandably raw at the position, but his physical gifts are next level. Carter’s get-off is remarkable, but even with his slight frame, he doesn’t just win with speed. As a junior at Penn State, he racked up a remarkable 23.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks with 66 pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 22.8%.
Carter’s most impressive game of the season came in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame when he was severely limited by a shoulder injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State. Despite playing with one arm and rushing from the opposite side of the line to protect his injury, Carter posted eight pressures, one sack, and was so obviously the most dominant player on the field.
Unlike Micah Parsons, who made his switch from linebacker to edge rusher in the pros, Carter will be a disruptive force along the defensive line from Day 1. He’s the type of player that opposing offenses will have to gameplan around and that’s rare as a rookie.
Shemar Stewart
Shemar Stewart left the Senior Bowl early after impressing scouts with his rare combination of size and athleticism. It’s no surprise that he was dominant in that venue and has shot up draft boards as a result.
Unlike Carter, who was a highly productive player last season, Stewart recorded just 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and amassed only 39 pressures. I’m typically partial to players who have the production to match the measurables, but despite his underwhelming statistical profile, Stewart just jumps off the screen anytime you watch Texas A&M. He’s a physical run defense on the edge with long arms to keep blockers off his body, has the strength to bull-rush offensive tackles right into the lap of the quarterback and while he’s not an elite tactician has a variety of counters off the bull-rush to keep tackles guessing.
Stewart has legitimate positional versatility that may tempt some teams to slide him inside to three-technique, but he’ll likely stay on the edge because there are very few human beings on earth that can do this at 280-something pounds:
