Could Giants draft Abdul Carter and then trade Kayvon Thibodeaux?

New York Giants reporter Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News suggested Monday that the club could make Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter the third overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft and then trade Kayvon Thibodeaux since Big Blue also has Brian Burns to play on the edge. 

On Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed that subject. 

“My guess would be, at first, you’d probably rotate the three throughout the game to keep them fresh,” Breer said about the Giants using Carter, Thibodeaux and Burns. “But Carter was an off-ball linebacker as a freshman and sophomore at Penn State, and you could have packages on early downs where he’d be playing an inside linebacker spot (and Burns has some of the flexibility, too). Now, the benefit would be how creative you could get with it.”

Thibodeaux has been an inconsistent player since the Giants made him the fifth overall pick of the 2022 draft, and the club must soon decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option for the 2026 season attached to his rookie contract. It’s likely Giants general manager Joe Schoen would rather take Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter over Carter at No. 3, but the Cleveland Browns could either grab Hunter with the draft’s second choice or trade that pick to a team that wants the two-way star. 

Breer is among those who think the Giants will draft Carter or Hunter instead of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 3. Big Blue could then look to take a different signal-caller, such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart later in the draft. 

“This is the franchise that, in 2007, drafted Mathias Kiwanuka in the first round despite already having Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck on the roster; then took Jason Pierre-Paul in the first round in ’10, despite having Tuck, Umenyiora and Kiwanuka on hand. And they won Super Bowls in ’07 and ’11, largely as a result of having overwhelming defensive fronts,” Breer added about the Giants’ possible mindset. 

Perhaps the Browns will pass on both Hunter and Sanders because they, like some analysts, view Carter as the best overall player of his draft class. If Cleveland takes Hunter, it sounds like Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen could utilize Carter, Thibodeaux and Burns during games for at least one season.