Saddled with the No. 12 selection, the Dallas Cowboys pick earlier than usual in the NFL Draft. It is actually the highest pick they've had since they took Micah Parsons with the same pick in 2021.
Jerry Jones and Co. will be hoping for similar luck Thursday night. While this draft pales in comparison to the 2021 class, Dallas is primed to land an impact player in the first round ... unless they throw a wrench into everything and draft an offensive linemen.
The fun part about the NFL Draft is reacting to rival picks and picks from teams that are close to Dallas in the draft order.
The New York Giants check both those boxes, as they own the No. 3 pick. After months of speculation and flirting with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the Giants have selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Giants' Abdul Carter pick sets up intriguing rivalry with Cowboys' Micah Parsons
The Giants committed an all-time draft gaffe on Wednesday night when general manager Joe Schoen's son posted a Jaxon Dart highlight reel on Instagram. There has been a lot of smoke behind New York and Dart lately, with several last-minute mock drafts projecting the Giants to trade back into the first round to select the Ole Miss quarterback.
All of that said, Carter is a fantastic pick for Dallas' rival.
Cowboys fans had googly eyes for Carter when Dallas got off to a 3-7 start and Dak Precott was ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury. The Cowboys would have had to finish with a top-three pick to be within range of Carter, but they won four of their final seven games.
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Carter emulates his game after one Micah Parsons. The dynamic pass rusher donned the No. 11 jersey for the Nittany Lions, just as Parsons did during his time at Penn State. Both are undersized compared to your standard NFL edge defender. They are both unique athletes with a tremendous get-off at the snap and a body twitch that terrorizes opposing tackles.
Carter has the chance to make a Parsons-like impact in East Rutherford. The Cowboys obviously have more talent across the board than the Giants, but their defensive line is nothing to be trifled with.
Dexter Lawrence is one of the best defensive players in the game. Brian Burns has tallied at least eight sacks in five straight seasons. Kayvon Thibodeaux has 17.0 sacks and 20 tackles for loss the last two seasons and they signed Chauncey Golston away from Dallas in free agency.
That isn't to say the Cowboys should be shaking in their boots, but Carter is a human highlight reel unto himself. The Giants clearly wanted their version of Parsons.
Can you blame them?