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Abdul Carter #51 of the New York Giants reacts after a flag during the second quarter of the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

The New York Giants most stacked position is easily at the outside linebacker spot. They feature four recent first-round picks, and all are incredibly talented.

Abdul Carter, the 2025 third overall pick, had an up-and-down rookie season. He had some nice moments on the field and closed the season strong, but there were some bumps along the way.

Carter was benched one too many times for silly reasons. He missed practice, fell asleep in meetings, and was all around immature as a rookie.

Despite that, he still ended the season with four sacks and came in fifth place for Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Heading into Year 2, Carter is primed for a breakout, and he can shed that “bust” that Giants fans were concerned about during the lows of his rookie season.

Abdul Carter Tabbed as Breakout Candidate

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport compiled a list of breakout candidates heading into the 2026 season who are still on their rookie contracts, and the New York Giants second-year pass rusher is expected to have a monster season.

“Calling a player a ‘bust’ after just one season may come off as a bit harsh. But when an edge-rusher is drafted in the top-five and has half as many benchings as sacks as a rookie that is—not ideal,” wrote Davenport.

“The Giants added Arvell Reese this year to a pass rush that already included reigning NFC sack king Brian Burns, so Carter isn’t going to see a ton of double-teams. The table is set—and Carter is going to flip it over and lead Big Blue in sacks this year. That’s right—I said it.”

The fact that Carter isn’t going to be facing the attention of a featured pass rush weapon gives him the best opportunity to break out in 2026, and bodes well for Davenport’s prediction of leading the Giants in sacks.

Despite not stuffing the stat sheet in 2025, Carter was still incredibly productive. Pro Football Focus had him as their 10th-best pure pass rusher last season, earning a grade of 84.5.

There’s also a chance that Carter will see increased playing time as well, if one of the Giants’ long-standing offseason rumors comes true at some point this summer.

Abdul Carter Could See More Reps After a Potential Trade

During the 2026 NFL Draft, there was a lot of chatter surrounding a potential trade with former New York Giants first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Entering the final year of his rookie deal, the 2022 No. 5 overall pick feels like the odd man out in a group that features reigning All-Pro Brian Burns, Carter, and this year’s first-round pick Arvell Reese.

Now, Reese expects to play mostly off-ball linebacker this season as a formidable tandem with Tremaine Edmunds, and moonlight as a pass rusher in specific situations.

The best way to open up more opportunities for both Carter and Reese would be to move on from Thibodeaux.

New York seems to be waiting for the trade to come to them, and won’t move Thibodeaux unless the price is right.

But it would be in their best interest not only to get value on a player they clearly have no intention of re-signing, but to open up reps for their younger guys.