Abdul Carter Says He Will Be No. 1 Overall NFL Draft Pick: Will He Be?

Abdul Carter took to social media Monday afternoon to manifest himself as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The first round of the draft is exactly one month away. After a very successful career at Penn State, Carter is lined up to be the top defensive lineman selected.

“Don’t let all this QB need talk fool y’all,” Carter said. “It’s already known who’s the best, and no QB is in that discussion! Like I said, the best player goes number 1.”

Inspired by this social media post, it’s worth examining whether Carter has a legitimate chance to be the top player selected in April’s draft.

The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick, and despite Carter’s theory that the best player goes No. 1, there’s a desperate need for a quarterback in Nashville.

The Titans lost Mason Rudolph in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they did not exactly put up a fight to keep him. They still have Will Levis on the roster, but he was so ineffective that the Titans were forced to patch up their quarterback room — and that’s what landed them the No. 1 overall pick in the first place.

Some thought the Titans could pursue a top free-agent quarterback like Sam Darnold or Aaron Rodgers. That hasn’t been the case, as Darnold signed a big-time deal with the Seattle Seahawks and Rodgers seems likely to end up with the Steelers. The Titans also are not said to be in the mix for Russell Wilson.

While new Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi has done a good job keeping their cards close to the chest, the consensus from national football publications and journalists in recent weeks seems to have Cam Ward as the No. 1 overall pick in this class.

That’s not to say things cannot change. Maybe the Titans have done an incredible job putting up a smokescreen about their interest in Ward and are actually eyeing Carter.

But their actions suggest otherwise.

This offseason, they’ve done an impressive job beefing up their offensive line by securing veterans in free agency like Dan Moore and Kevin Zeitler. They also added longtime veteran backup quarterback Brandon Allen, who has familiarity with head coach Brian Callahan from their time together with the Cincinnati Bengals.

While Carter and Colorado’s Travis Hunter are probably the best players in this upcoming draft, we know this league puts a premium on quarterbacks. And the Titans have not had a good one in a very long time.

It’s a good thing Carter believes he’s the best player in this year’s draft. He has the college stats, résumé and film to back that up. But all signs point to the Titans selecting Ward — unless a big surprise happens in exactly one month.