NEW ORLEANS — One of many largest winners of Tremendous Bowl 2025 hasn’t but performed a snap within the NFL.
Anybody who watched the reveal of Patrick Mahomes’ kryptonite as a stacked cross rush ought to concurrently have pushed Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter up their mock draft.
Overreaction to the Tremendous Bowl is an actual factor contained in the NFL, however it may simply be smart after the Eagles’ 40-22 win in opposition to the Chiefs to go from seeing Carter as a high 4 prospect within the 2025 class to the favourite at No. 1.
Quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders aren’t can’t-miss prospects. Receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is a scouting unicorn however — even when he performs on each side of the ball (no assure) — will he make the identical impression {that a} premier cross rusher would?
“There was nothing they might do,” Eagles defensive deal with Milton Williams stated. “We knew they couldn’t block us up entrance. We have now dawgs in all places.”
The Chiefs offensive line featured three $72 million-plus investments and one other blocker who will attain that threshold in free company subsequent month. Mahomes nonetheless was hit 11 occasions and sacked a career-high six occasions.
“In these video games,” head coach Andy Reid stated, “these strains get magnified somewhat bit.”
To Williams’ level, three cross rushers isn’t sufficient.
In case you are the Giants holding the No. 3 decide with Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence on the sphere, why not goal Carter and replicate your individual blueprint of overlapping Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora with Michael Strahan and Jason Pierre-Paul?
Carter, who gives inside linebacker versatility, led the Large Ten with 24 tackles for loss, together with 12 sacks.
He has drawn comparisons to Cowboys star Micah Parsons, who has 52.5 sacks as a defensive chess piece over a four-year profession.
“While you win [matchups] on a four-man rush and you may simply cycle guys by means of and they’re nonetheless successful,” Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stated, “you don’t must blitz.”
The Eagles didn’t blitz on any of Mahomes’ 42 dropbacks, based on Subsequent Gen Stats. He nonetheless confronted the fifth-highest strain price (38.1 %) of his 133-game profession.
“I used to be simply operating round and … they let me go loopy,” edge rusher Josh Sweat stated after a career-high 2.5 sacks. “I don’t assume [Mahomes] was flustered actually, however you possibly can see hints of it as soon as we began hitting them, for positive.”
The danger-highlighting irony of any workforce selecting Carter over Ward or Sanders is {that a} cross rusher went No. 1 general in Mahomes’ draft class.
Myles Garrett is a future Corridor of Famer, however the Browns absolutely would decide Mahomes (who slipped to No. 10, after quarterback bust Mitch Trubisky) on a do-over.
Carter’s first-step quickness ought to translate, however a quarterback-needy workforce is topic to ridicule if Ward or Sanders pans out.
“With the intention to make a workforce blitz, you’ve gotten to have the ability to beat what they’re displaying,” Mahomes stated. “That’s what we didn’t do.”
Williams, Baun and Sweat are all free brokers whose worth may need been boosted by Tremendous Bowl LIX’s script. The identical goes for a soon-to-be rookie.