Everyone loves a Penn State hybrid edge linebacker — except maybe NFC East offensive linemen.
Micah Parsons has made a case to be recognized as the best defensive player in the NFL as a linebacker and edge rusher with the Dallas Cowboys.
There’s nothing NFL teams love more than replicating one another.
But how similar are the two Nittany Lions?
Abdul Carter is 6-foot-3, 250 pounds — only four more than his Penn State counterpart. He plays the majority of his snaps at the rush linebacker position, but is able to drop down to play stand-up edge or drop back into coverage if necessary, thanks to impressive athletic chops. Parsons and Carter share the same burst off the edge, tracing to their linebacker background.
They can explode in any direction and keep the natural fluidity to close and stuff the stat sheet with sacks.
Maybe this is a hot take, but I’d rather have my edge rushers come from a linebacker background than a defensive tackle background (looking at you, Shemar Stewart).
There’s nothing wrong with having immense natural power in your game, but power can be built. It’s harder to gain speed and burst if you aren’t starting from a strong floor. It’s part of what makes Parsons consistently successful. He outclasses every offensive lineman athletically and could lap some of them in a track meet.
Carter shares that same explosiveness and agility, and his angles to pursue the quarterback are tight and precise.
Penn State pass rushers have typically been technically sound. Even guys like Arnold Ebiketie — who is not quite of Parsons’ and Carter’s caliber — have made names for themselves based on technical refinement and a bag of pass-rush moves.
Carter has that in spades. Starting with a particularly dirty spin move that leaves tackles dizzy and often on the ground, he uses a quick chop and bend off the corner. Penn State coach James Franklin emphasizes agility and technical refinement with his edge rushers, which predates Parsons. Think about Shaka Toney — while not a top NFL player — whose edge rushing ability at the college level was derived almost entirely from lateral movement. That’s what you’re getting with a Penn State edge guy.
Carter makes a case for the best defensive player in the class. His impressive athleticism and polished technical skills make for a complete edge rusher prospect who still has a wide-open ceiling. Is he the next Micah Parsons? I’m not sure how much Carter would appreciate me putting him in a Nittany Lion–shaped box, but he could very well be the next star of a defense in the way Parsons is for the Cowboys. They play similarly and helped turn the Nittany Lions’ defense into a force of nature.
Carter deserves the high draft pick he will likely garner, and we can expect to see him stacking sacks for years to come.
