The New England Patriots can find another Willie McGinest in their "best-case" scenario for the 2025 NFL draft.
The last time the New England Patriots used the fourth-overall pick in the NFL draft to select an edge-rusher, they found future Hall of Famer Willie McGinest, something the franchise can repeat by taking Abdul Carter at No. 4 in 2025.
A comparison between Penn State's star quarterback hunter Carter and three-time Super Bowl winner McGinest was made by The Ringer's Bill Simmons. He wants "Abdul Carter or Mason Graham for NE. Make the DL a strength. Splurge on an LT + Higgins in free agency. Best-case: Ward/Sanders go 1-2, Hunter to NYG ... Carter to NE at 4 aka McGinest 2.0."
Simmons also proposed a trade scenario involving the Pats swapping first-round picks with the Las Vegas Raiders. New England would then use the sixth choice to select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
Taking a game-wrecking "monster" like Graham is an intriguing notion, and so is trading back in Round 1 for extra picks. The problem is the Patriots need pass-rush help in the worst way, and Carter is a transformative pressure specialist talented enough to dominate off the edge at the next level.
Sending Carter's name to the podium and replacing the oomph off the edge the Patriots lost when they traded Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons last offseason makes more sense. Particularly if Carter is even a fraction of the clutch performer McGinest was for over a decade in New England.
Their defense felt the collars of opposing quarterbacks an NFL-low 28 times last season, so the Patriots' need for a bluechip pass-rusher is glaring. So is the reason why the Pats have struggled to put heat on the pocket.
They simply lack elite game-changers on the outside. Versatile defensive end Keion White has teased the ability to dominate, but he's far from putting it all together, while Anfernee Jennings is more comfortable stuffing the run.
Fortunately, Carter is just what the Patriots need. He's a roving menace able to wreck blocking schemes from anywhere along the front seven.
Carter has preternatural speed off the edge, something he showed on this sack against Ohio State, highlighted by Marcus Johnson of SB Nation's Silver & Black Pride.
There isn't an edge defender who can rush like this for the Patriots. Carter's length, rapid takeoff and closing speed would help him feast in the defense favored by new head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams.
It's a scheme based on collapsing the pocket with a four-man rush led by wide-aligned D-ends. Carter's a perfect fit, but his versatility would allow the Patriots to get more creative on third downs.
The flexibility in Carter's game extends to him posting "a 61% win rate on inside moves like this one" highlighted by Underdog Fantasy's Hayden Winks. Such skills are also why "Penn State would occasionally stand him (Carter) up in the A gap and do this to centers, too."
Using Carter in tandem with a similarly flexible free-agent edge-rusher, maybe even a Super Bowl-winning one, would instantly transform the Patriots' pass rush.
Building from the front paid off handsomely when the Pats took McGinest.
When Bill Parcells took McGinest with a top-four pick in 1994 he got a natural edge-setter for his 3-4 defense. Parcells' eventual successor Bill Belichick expanded McGinest's repertoire as the fulcrum of a hybrid-front defense, after some brief, but similar work by Pete Carroll.
McGinest eventually justified all the effort and lived up to his draft status. He only logged double-digit sacks in a single season once, back in 1995, but McGinest usually saved his best performances for the biggest games.
This special game contributed to McGinest logging a record 16 sacks in playoff games and earning a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame. McGinest defined defense in New England for 12 years, and Carter possesses the upside to make a similar impact.