Ex-Raiders GM makes feelings known on red flags around Abdul Carter's foot injury ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Abdul Carter has long been projected to be the top defensive prospect of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had a stellar senior season at Penn State that saw him explode for twelve sacks and lead the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff Semifinals.

But he has also been hurting in his foot as of late, and a former general manager in the NFL believes that prospective teams should be cautious about his injury.

Speaking on Rich Eisen's eponymous show on Monday, Mike Mayock, who previously worked for the Las Vegas Raiders, said (1:12 onwards):

"If you're going to pick a guy in the top five and you're worried about his feet, you better make damn sure that you've got all your answers from your medical people... With the amount of stress put on your feet from the bottom up, you better be real comfortable with what you see on his imaging and what your doctors in your building are telling you."

He continued by relating this situation to Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith, who had been a projected first- or second-rounder but fell all the way to the sixth round because of a heart issue.

"When your doctors tell you point-blank, 'You can't take a guy,' you gotta take him off the board," Mayock added. "And most of the teams did that year, yet Kansas City took a late-round chance, and they got an All-Pro. So just like (with) off-field issues, all teams get the same information, but how they look at that information and make internal decisions varies greatly.'"

---

How Abdul Carter's injury might affect Titans' plans to draft him #1 overall

One team heavily linked to Abdul Carter is the Tennessee Titans, who hold the first overall pick of the upcoming Draft. They have been long predicted to select a quarterback with whom to replace Will Levis, but edge rusher has also become a need after the organization gave one-time Pro Bowler Harold Landry permission to inquire about a trade last week.

But according to Justin Melo, columnist for the team's SBNation site Music City Miracles, his injury history (he was also reported to have a shoulder issue) may affect their plans:

"This isn’t a torn ACL that is guaranteed to impact his rookie campaign, but the lingering unknown is present... They’d certainly feel better about the opportunity cost on Carter’s injuries if drafting him also came with more immediate and future draft capital."

It remains to be seen where Abdul Carter lands with the NFL Draft to be held from April 24 to 26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.