Daniel Jeremiah breaks down his decision of Abdul Carter flip-flop in latest NFL mock draft

Abdul Carter remains a hot choice among NFL draft experts in 2025. The Penn State DE found a spot in Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft 3.0, released this week. There was a little twist to the current rankings as Jeremiah had placed Carter this time as the No. 2 prospect to the Cleveland Browns, rather than his previous prediction of going No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

He had a fair justification for this flip-flop. Jeremiah believes Carter could be a great option for the Browns since they need to strengthen their defense big time.

After veteran star Myles Garrett’s massive $160 million extension with the Browns, Carter's prospects seem to have taken a hit since it could be impractical to pick a rookie with the second overall pick when you already have Garrett secured.

But Jeremiah believes Kevin Stefanski could make a risky bet on Carter since prospects like him don't come often and the Browns could use a veteran QB out of free agency. [Timestamp - 4:40]

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“I touched on this before with Cleveland, but I tried to flesh it out a little bit more. First of all, you do hear Kirk Cousins name mentioned, you know, as someone, you know, I do believe is going to get traded eventually.

"So maybe that's they're selling him on a veteran who can come in here and kind of just get the offense functional," Jeremiah said.

On Carter, Jeremiah talked about how he could pair with 4x All-Pro Myles Garrett and his fit in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's defensive scheme.

"And then they could use that first pick, as I had them here, taking Abdul Carter to give him a big time rusher on the opposite side where, you know, with Jim Schwartz defense, they're going to line those guys up wide and they're going to let them hunt.”

“That would be a great fit there on the opposite side of Myles Garrett with Abdul Carter," Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah concluded the debate on the topic by adding that taking Abdul Carter could force the Browns to take a quarterback that is not among the top-rated options.

"So the question is, do you want to take Abdul Carter there, who's your best, the best defensive lineman in the draft, and then pair him up with a quarterback that's second tier, whether that's someone like a Jaxson Dart, whether that's Tyler Shough or whoever your quarterback is,” he added.

Abdul Carter draws interest from several other NFL teams

In 2024, Carter proved to be a lethal weapon for James Franklin, where he recorded 43 solos and 12 sacks. Heading into 2025, his prospect draws interest from different teams like the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.

The Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick and are in dire need of a QB but they wouldn't want to pass on a player like Carter, who could become a future franchise star. Similarly, the Giants are in reach and could be exploring their options beyond Shedeur Sanders. Carter is expected to go off the boards as a top 3 pick.