Tale of the Tape: What is Penn State getting in LB Abdul Carter?

Penn State football filled the biggest hole on its 2022 recruiting roster with the addition of four-star linebacker Abdul Carter from La Salle College High School Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound prospect chose the Nittany Lions over South Carolina and Ole Miss and has unbelievable physical tools that translate to the next level. He also has a highlight tape to match.

But does that tell the whole story? We’ll dive into his game film and see.

Size: It’s hard to ignore 6-3, 230 pounds as a junior linebacker in high school. His size, lower-body physique and power at the point of contact with linemen is all college-ready. Bringing a full physical toolbox to the Big 10 for a linebacker is a leg up in the transition to college. He also has absurd testing numbers when it comes to his speed and explosiveness, running a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and a 4.4-second 20-yard shuttle. Those numbers are on par with the other recent great Penn State linebackers

Highlights: Carter’s high-end plays on film are some of the best you’ll see. He uses every ounce of his power when hitting, can chase plays down in the flat and is a very good coverage player (more on that below). The moldable clay to be a complete linebacker is obvious.

Coverage Skills: Carter is a patient linebacker that reads before he reacts to play-action. No player is perfect, but Carter does a good job of not overreacting to anything and is a quality spot-drop linebacker who can find his zone and plays with discipline once there. With his size and burst, he has the chance to be the type of linebacker that can get to his assignments in both the run and pass game on RPOs.

Abdul Carter on PSU: 'Coming here is where I can make my biggest impact'

Diagnostics: Patience and steadiness are great in a linebacker but at a certain point you have to trust what you see and trigger to the ball. Far too often Carter is a passive member of the defense who is reading, reacting and getting into position but infrequently finishes to the football. He also rarely hits his top speed that we mentioned earlier.

It may be that he’s unsure of what he’s seeing or that he simply doesn’t want to be wrong. Either way it leads to more lunging and plays on the periphery of the action than you’d like from a box linebacker with his size and speed.

Fluidity: The hardest part about Carter’s evaluation is that his game speed does not match his testing speed the majority of the time. There are flashes, yes, and most of them make it to his highlight tape.

Yet his overall game film leaves you wanting a bit more. Part of that is his constant reading of the play and lack of consistent trigger. Generally he moves like a big, lanky linebacker with legs and arms that don’t streamline his movement skills. There is not a lot of natural, fluid motion to his running style.

Consistency: Linebacker is a very hard position to play at any level of football and it is one that takes years to master. While the highlights are there and he’s clearly talented, having the down-to-down consistency is also important at that position. As he grows and develops mentally in the game of football, this should improve.

Box Linebacker: Mike or Will linebacker is a fine spot for Carter depending on how much he can absorb in terms of the defense and setting the front seven at the next level. He could be a tackling force that runs sideline to sideline and hits everything that moves once the light fully comes on. There’s a lot to clean up in his game but with his tools, he’s a great project at the next level.

Edge: At 6-3, 230 pounds as a junior in high school, he could potentially outgrow linebacker. His movement skills in space also suggest that he might be better on the line than patrolling laterally in zone coverage.

That being said, he’s not on the level of Zuriah Fisher in regards to a prospect who was destined for the edge, but it is a possibility. He was used as a pass rusher quite a bit at La Salle and was effective when doing so.

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