The draft's top player enjoyed his final year as an Eagles fan originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
INDIANAPOLIS — Abdul Carter knows he’s not going to the Eagles.
The Philadelphia native and Penn State edge rusher is considered by many to be the best player in the 2025 NFL Draft. He could very well be the No. 1 overall pick in a couple months and the Eagles have pick No. 32 after winning Super Bowl LIX.
But he enjoyed the heck out of his last year as an Eagles fan.
And he even got to watch his team win it all.
“It was dope,” Carter said on Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “I really just got to enjoy my last year really being a fan. Being from Philly, born and raised, supporting the Eagles really my whole life. I got to take my dad to the Super Bowl. Just enjoyed being a fan one last year. Whatever team drafts me, I’m loyal to that team.”
Carter, 21, was in Phoenix two years ago for Super Bowl LVII when the Eagles lost to the Chiefs. This year, he took his dad to New Orleans to watch his Eagles get some revenge.
He even got a chance to snag a photo with Jalen Carter and the Lombardi Trophy. Abdul Carter said the custom Eagles hoodie was a gift from his dad.
“Really happy for them,” Carter said. “It was really cool being one last year being an Eagles fan.”
As an Eagles fan, Carter has been in plenty of discussions and debates about Jalen Hurts in recent years. He even went on Instagram to defend the Eagles’ quarterback earlier this month.
“I feel like whoever the champion is, they the best,” Carter said on Wednesday. “I feel like Jalen Hurts established himself. He did that this year actually winning a championship. He did nothing but only certify himself.”
Carter grew up in Philadelphia and went to La Salle College High School before heading to Penn State. In his third season at Penn State this year, Carter was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
While Carter knows his NFL career won’t take him home to Philadelphia — at least not on draft night — his hometown is important to him.
“I feel like I’m shaped a lot with my Philly roots,” Carter said. “It’s my toughness, my grit. I feel like that’s the biggest thing I can take from Philly. It really made me into the man I am today.”
NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Carter ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class.
And Carter wants to be the top player picked.
“I feel like it’s very realistic,” Carter said. “I feel like I’m the best player in the country and the best player should be selected No. 1.”
The Titans have the first pick in the draft and the Eagles don’t have Tennessee on their schedule this season. In fact, the only teams in the top 10 of this draft on the Eagles schedule this season are the Giants (No. 3), Raiders (No. 6) and Bears (No. 10).
But at some point in his NFL career, Carter is going to face the Eagles.
“They gonna get my best,” Carter said. “My best only.”
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