"He's a legitimate high-end prospect": Former NFL Scout gets candid about Abdul Carter amid injury struggles

Abdul Carter remains one of the biggest mysteries in the 2025 NFL draft. The Penn State defensive end has been struggling with multiple injuries and didn't participate in any workouts at the NFL Combine or Penn State pro day on Friday.

This has raised eyebrows since scouts and NFL team executives couldn't watch his live drills and the only thing at their disposal are his tapes from the 2024 season. According to former NFL Scout John Middlekauff, he is a legitimate prospect who doesn't need extra proof to improve his draft stock.

Middlekauff mentioned that his recent shoulder injury from the Boise State matchup and right foot strain at the combine could get worse in case he had worked out, and to keep himself healthy, he made the right decision. He also drew comparisons to Leonard Williams and Micah Parsons.

“He's a legitimate top 10 guys in certain drafts, I would say a bad draft like this one, he can go pick one, two or three in some great drafts," Middlekauff said on Friday, via '3 & Out.' "Maybe he goes seven to 10, but he's a legitimate high-end prospect. His skill really transforms, and he does have a lot of parallels with Micah Parsons. He's battling with his shoulder injuries, there's no disputing and stuff, just his style of play. Like he's really, really good, and I haven't heard anything negative from an off- the-field character standpoint.

"So I'm just gonna assume, like he's viewed as a real high-end total package prospect. But when things that are thrown in the mix, like he still has a shoulder injury that he's (been) nursing from early January, he has a stress fracture in his right foot, those are things as the area Scout, as the college director, hell as the general manager, that are very, very difficult for you to give a concrete opinion on.”

Abdul Carter had dinner with Cleveland Browns

Amid rumors of the Tennessee Titans potentially targeting Abdul Carter, the Cleveland Browns recently had dinner with him. It was a long week for the Browns, as they had private workouts with multiple prospects, including Miami's Cam Ward.

On Thursday, Carter reportedly had a warm meeting with the team's brass after it held workouts with Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart and Alabama's Jalen Milroe. If picked, Carter could be a major addition to Kevin Stefanski and he could team up with Myles Garrett and put on a show.