While the Arizona Cardinals had one of the best offenses among teams that missed the NFL playoffs, their defense faltered after being midseason favorites to win the NFC West. They had the worst pass success rate of any defense, highlighting the need to add talent through free agency and the NFL Draft.
That’s why PFSN’s latest mock draft from Ian Cummings projects the Cardinals will trade up with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire the No. 6 overall pick and select Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Arizona Cardinals Projected To Trade Up for Abdul Carter
Along with struggling against the pass, the Cardinals ranked 28th in run defense success rate. That was a major factor in their collapse after a 6-4 start, making the defensive line a key offseason priority.
The lack of defensive talent beyond Budda Baker was a well-known issue entering the season, and Carter, who logged 12 sacks last year, could be a massive boost to the 27th-ranked defense, per PFSN’s Defense+ metric.
In the projected mock draft trade, Cummings predicts the Cardinals will receive picks No. 6 and No. 144, plus a 2026 third-rounder from the Raiders, in exchange for No. 16, No. 47, and No. 114, along with a 2026 first-rounder.
Here’s what Cummings wrote about Carter’s draft projection:
“The Arizona Cardinals started strong in 2024 and proved they are indeed close, but a quality pass rush was sorely lacking for Jonathan Gannon’s squad. In this 2025 NFL Mock Draft, they remedy this by trading up for Abdul Carter — a cheat code who logged 12 sacks in 2024.”
Abdul Carter is unstoppable.
He’s a bonafide defensive star who I’m willing to bet my reputation on. I only say that for a select few prospects—and he is one of them.
Spoiler: he is my #2 ranked player on the Big Board (releasing soon)
— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) January 10, 2025
Carter is a premier pass rusher with positional flexibility. The 6-foot-3, 251-pounder transitioned from inside linebacker to full-time edge rusher for the 2024 season at Penn State. He’s a disruptive player with elite get-off speed who is lethal when he plays with a lower pad level, making him a potential difference-maker in Arizona’s defense.
Carter’s Penn State Career Overview
Carter was a highly ranked four-star recruit with offers from several top college programs. He chose to stay close to home and attend Penn State, turning down offers from USC, Michigan, and others.
As a true freshman, Carter was an instant contributor, starting six of 13 games as an off-ball linebacker. His athleticism and explosiveness stood out, and he often lined up as a blitzing linebacker, finishing with a team-high 6.5 sacks.
He took on a full-time starting linebacker role as a sophomore in 2023 but didn’t improve on his freshman-year stats. However, his film still showcased his potential as one of college football’s top defensive players, and he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Entering his junior season, Carter transitioned from an off-ball linebacker to a full-time edge rusher. While it took a few games to adjust, he thrived in his new role, posting career highs in sacks (12) and tackles for loss (23.5) while winning the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.