“Absolutely destroyed”, “Welcome to the NFL”: Fans react as Abdul Carter gets bullied into ground during Giants vs. Jets preseason game

The New York Giants' Abdul Carter is supposed to be one of the most promising young edge rushers in the NFL, but one moment on Saturday had fans mocking him.

During a snap against the intracity rival New York Jets, the third overall pick of the 2025 draft was knocked down on a blocked pass rush by tight end Stone Smartt. Carter was then kept down on the ground by right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.

And fans would not let him live it down:

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More of the ridicule can be seen below:

"He’s gonna need to get stronger," one advised.

"Boy won't be yappin now," another guaranteed.

"Told you he was overrated," another insisted.

Carter's teammates have been vocal about his potential as an all-around player, one who can play both containment and blitz. Inside linebacker and defensive captain Bobby Okereke said about him:

“What he is best at is running fast and free. He is like a young buck, a young horse. He doesn’t necessarily know what is going on, but he’s going to run into it at a million miles an hour. So for me it’s fun because I get to make him right.”

Meanwhile, Giants coach Brian Daboll said:

“He certainly has very, very good instincts as a football player. Some players do exactly what’s on the paper. And then you have other players that are very instinctive. He’s a little bit of a see-ball, get-ball kind of guy. He’s done a nice job with what we’ve asked him to do, and we’ll see how it grows.”

As for the game, the Giants won 31-12 thanks to Jaxson Dart, who completed 14 of 16 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown to Greg Dulcich. He also rushed for a score.

Abdul Carter sets surprising reward for himself as NFL debut approaches

As Abdul Carter nears his first official NFL game, he has already earmarked a target and reward, and it is not what one may expect.

In an X post on Wednesday, he claimed that he would not have his hair trimmed until he had his first sack:

That first game will be at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.

About the author

Andre Castillo is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda who holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degree in Journalism. He has over seven years of working experience and has also covered MMA with FanSided, wrestling with The Sportster, and automobiles with Hot Cars.

Andre follows the New York Jets and the Washington Commanders, mostly because he likes their colors. His favorite position is tight end, and players like Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce have always drawn Andre's attention when watching a game. Bill Belichick is his favorite coach, and his all-time favorite Super Bowl is the XLII edition, when the underdog New York Giants upset the then-undefeated New England Patriots.

If he can change one moment in NFL history, it will be from the NFC Championship Game in January 2019. In that game, a highly controversial no-call cost the Saints what would have been Drew Brees' second Super Bowl visit, where he would have faced Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Andre is always on the lookout for fresh perspectives in a story and ensures complete factual accuracy by double-checking all information before using it in his articles. He has an innate understanding of how to present information in an efficient and compelling way.

Outside the writing realm, Andre is a professional licensed teacher. His hobbies include watching UFC, MotoGP, playing the piano, and travelling.

Know More

Giants Nation! Check out the latest New York Giants Schedule and dive into the Giants Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Andre Castillo