Joe Schoen was asked in his pre-draft press conference about how Abdul Carter could fit into a defense that already includes Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence.
"We would find a way," the general manager said.
That's what you do for a player like him.
The hypothetical question turned into reality Thursday night when the Giants selected the unanimous All-American, just the 15th player in Penn State history to be voted as such, with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Giants took their time on the clock, leaving some outsiders to wonder whether they were contemplating a trade at that spot.
It turns out they were just celebrating what immediately became one of the top defensive fronts in the league.
"We were high fiving and hugging," Schoen said after the pick. "That's what that was, and then we got him on the phone. So, we took about five minutes there and just – we were just talking and hanging out and enjoying the moment really."
The tense moments would come later.
Step into the draft room as the Giants select Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
After meeting with the media in the downstairs auditorium at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, Schoen and coach Brian Daboll returned upstairs to the Draft Room for the rest of the first round. As the picks got into the 20s, they started to work the phones.
Eventually, they struck a deal with the Texans at No. 25, which the Giants then used on quarterback Jaxson Dart. In exchange for the pick that landed them Ole Miss' all-time leader in passing yards – a record previously held by Eli Manning – the Giants sent their 34th and 99th overall picks in this year's draft and a 2026 third-round choice to Houston.
The Giants, who started the night with eight overall selections, have five remaining to use over the next two days – No. 65 (Round 3), No. 105 (Round 4), No. 154 (Round 5), No. 219 (Round 7) and No. 246 (Round 7).
"Glad you all didn't go home," Schoen said when the media reassembled after the selection of Dart. "Obviously we traded back (into the first round) for Jaxson. Fired up to get him. We went through an extensive quarterback process. It started as far back as last May in terms of evaluating the quarterbacks, and Dabs and I have been through this quite a few times, and at the end of the day we're fired up to have Jaxson Dart as part of the organization and look forward to working with him."
"I think he's got a lot of qualities you look for in a good quarterback," Daboll said. "He's tough, makes good decisions with the football, pushes the ball down the field, has athletic ability, played in a really tough conference, started there at USC as a young guy. But did a really good job throughout this process of our meetings, board work, workouts and the tape that we liked. Look forward to working with him. Glad he's here, and we'll get started as soon as we can."
A lot of teams decided to stand pat and pick, according to Schoen, as the draft entered the final 10 spots of the first round.
"There's just not much you can do there," Schoen said. "We kept chipping away, have a lot of good relationships with general managers around the league, so easy conversations. The teams that weren't going to move back were up front and pretty straightforward right off the bat, so that allowed us to get ahead of the next team and start working through potential trades."
The Giants ended the first night with players at not one but two positions they felt comfortable with before the draft. Schoen's goal is always to come out of free agency thinking the roster was good enough to play a game that day.
That was certainly true for the defensive front, and now look at it.
"We're going to be dominant," Carter said. "It's going to be dope just getting to know those guys as a person, getting to know them as men and then getting closer as teammates, and then once we get on the field together, just wreak havoc."
Carter added: "It's really just a blessing. It's an opportunity. I just want to take full advantage of it, celebrate this moment with my family. They helped me get here. I wouldn't be here without them, all the sacrifices they've made. I'm at a loss for words, just really blessed, and I'm just thankful."
Meanwhile, the Giants weren't backed into any corners at quarterback after signing 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson and former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston earlier this offseason. But if the value matched up, Schoen wasn't going to hesitate to draft a quarterback for the first time since he became a general manager in 2022.
"It's been exhausting, to be honest with you," Schoen said. "We've been, whether it's here all week and then you go on the road in the fall or all the way up to Easter weekend, we're still on the road. Credit to the coaches, my staff, the film they watch, the area scouts putting us in the correct direction on the quarterbacks to go see. Yeah, love the staff, love the coaching staff, the collaboration, the way we all work together.
"It's a very detailed process, and we couldn't do it without the coaches, because I don't know our offense inside and out like they do or what they're going to ask these kids to do, so they do a great job. The coaching staff's ability to, again, Easter weekend be away from their families and go do this stuff. Credit to them. I'm glad we were able to get a guy that we're convicted on and we like. So yeah, it's gratifying. I'll probably on the ride home be able to decompress, but it was pretty stressful up there the last 15, 20 minutes trying to get this done. I'll probably reflect on it later in the day, but I'm fired up about the two players that we were able to get tonight."
View photos of Giants' first-round pick Abdul Carter at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on stage after being selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter celebrates after being selected third overall during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on stage after being selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Commissioner Roger Goodell and Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter interact after Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses for a photo during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Commissioner Roger Goodell and Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter interact after Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Commissioner Roger Goodell and Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter interact after Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is selected third overall by the New York Giants during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter on the red carpet at the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Tyler Kaufman/AP Content Services for the NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is introduced on stage during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is introduced on stage during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on the red carpet prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
A general view of Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter greenroom area during the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Perry Knotts/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter gestures prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on the red carpet prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on the red carpet prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
A detail view of Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter football and helmet in the green room prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, right, is chosen by the New York Giants as the third overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Doug Benc/AP Content Services for the NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on the red carpet prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter high fives fans as he arrives prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses on the red carpet prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Logan Bowles/NFL)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden, and Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham look on prior to the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)
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