"Young bull, gonna be special": Former NFL WR applauds Abdul Carter despite Penn State's crushing loss

Defensive end Abdul Carter and the Penn State Nittany Lions lost in the Orange Bowl against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They lost a close game 27-24, missing out on an opportunity to play in the National Championship Game. Despite the loss, one of the stars for the team through the season was Abdul Carter who had five tackles, including three solo efforts, a sack, and a pass defended.

After the game on Thursday, former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Chad 'Ocho' Johnson released an episode of their podcast, Nightcap. The pair spoke about Abdul Carter's performance and Johnson could not hold back the praise.

"Listen, Abdul Carter, man listen, young bull gonna be special boy," Johnson said. "It's something about the defensive ends that come out of Penn State that wear the number 11, special. He's special. I'm mad that his play wasn't rewarded with a W behind it but he will be nice."

Shannon Sharpe then spoke about how Carter needs to expand what he is able to do on the field. He praised him for his elite abilities but pointed out that he has a limited number of moves for a defensive player.

Ocho agreed and said:

"He gotta have multiple things that he can do," Johnson said. "Obviously playing the defensive end position, I'm not a defensive end, but I understand there are a multitude of things you can do coming off the edge."

Abdul Carter likely to be top-10 pick in 2025 NFL draft

While the focus ahead of the 2025 NFL draft has been on two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterbacks like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, Abdul Carter has made a case to be a top-10 pick.

The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants are expected to pick quarterbacks, but otherwise, it is unclear what teams are interested in at the top of the draft. The Browns could draft a quarterback, but they still have Deshaun Watson, and as a result, could choose to pick a defensive player.

After the third overall pick, both the top quarterbacks are expected to be off the board. Since this is not a strong quarterback class, any team drafting in the top 10 could be interested in Carter. CBS Sports's Josh Edwards has him going to the Raiders sixth overall in a recent mock draft. USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has him going to the Panthers with the eighth pick.