With needs up and down the roster, the Dallas Cowboys could go many directions with the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Some fans would sign off on Ashton Jeanty or Omarion Hampton, but conventional wisdom says Dallas should wait to take a running back.
At the end of the day, Brian Schottenheimer and Co. will be hoping that just one player on their big board is there at 12. If multiple players are available, the team can entertain trading back to potentially recoup an extra pick on Day 2 or 3. That is the best-case scenario, but if Arizona wide receiver Tetaiora McMillan or Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou are there odds are Dallas will hold its ground.
There was a point in time after Dak Prescott's season-ending injury that some fans wanted the Cowboys to tank for a top pick. Ideally, that pick would have been used on Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter. But that dream quickly flamed out as they went 4-3 in their final seven games.
Now, the Giants are favored to take one of Cowboys fans' dream prospects.
Giants are expected to take Cowboys fans' dream draft prospect Abdul Carter
The latest draft rumblings indicate the Browns will take Hunter second overall. That positions the Giants to take Carter, even though they have no shortage of pass rushers in DT Dexter Lawrence and EDGEs Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and former Cowboy Chauncey Golston.
Penn St. edge rusher Abdul Carter had breakfast Sunday in State College, Pa., with New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Carter also is now scheduled to visit the Giants on Thursday in New Jersey, and he figures to be a top-3 pick. pic.twitter.com/cTvCwW7lSs
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 7, 2025
Before the Cowboys won some games with Cooper Rush, fans circled Carter as their dream draft target. It always felt like a pipe dream, but Carter would have been a perfect fit.
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Not only could the Cowboys use another pass rusher, but Carter hails from Penn State and emulates his game after Micah Parsons. Carter even wore No. 11 for the Nittany Lions, just as Parsons did during his two years in Happy Valley before he opted out in 2020 to focus on the draft.
While Carter is undersized like Parsons, they are both rare caliber athletes. Even though 2024 was Carter's first as a full-time edge rusher, he ranked first in the FBS with 23.5 tackles for loss, second with 66 pressures and seventh with 12.5 sacks. He wrecked the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame despite playing with an injured shoulder.
Carter has all the traits to become an All-Pro at the next level. Unfortunately, experts are now in lockstep that the top three picks will unfold as follows: Cam Ward to the Titans at No. 1, Hunter to the Browns at No. 2 and Carter to the Giants at No. 3.
Without a long-term solution at quarterback, Shedeur Sanders is seemingly another possibility for New York. At this rate, Cowboys Nation is hoping and praying the Giants' QB desperation takes over and they pass on Carter for Sanders because it would be a huge gut punch if Carter ends up in East Rutherford.
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