New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter won’t be wearing team Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor’s retired No. 56, but it doesn’t seem like the third-overall pick of this week’s NFL Draft is too bothered.
‘The worst thing he could say was NO!!’ Carter wrote on X after being turned down by the franchise legend. ‘My stance don’t change, LT is the [goat emoji] nothing but respect… This just gonna make me work even harder!! I love it.’
Taylor’s No. 56 is retired by the Giants and remains one of the most revered jersey numbers in franchise history. But Carter idolizes Taylor and wanted to see if he’d be cool with him going after quarterbacks all these years later while wearing that familiar number.
Well, L.T. sacked those dreams quickly.
Taylor heard of Carter’s request and, while honored, thinks the former Penn State pass rusher needs to do a number on opposing offenses in something other than No. 56.
‘He has to be the player that he is,’ Taylor told ESPN. ‘He can’t be another Lawrence Taylor. Well, he may be better than a Lawrence Taylor, who knows? But he has to make his mark. It´s up to him.’
Edge Rusher Abdul Carter of Penn State attends the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field
Lawrence Taylor attends a game between the Giants and the Indianapolis Colts in 2023
Carter wore No. 11 at Penn State – but that number is also retired by the Giants in honor of quarterback Phil Simms.
But that was far from his mind when Carter and Jaxson Dart greeted each other as they were introduced to the media on Friday.
It was a lot more cordial — and less painful — than the last time the two got together on the field.
Carter put a huge hit on Dart during the Peach Bowl on December 30, 2023, sending the Mississippi quarterback to the turf and leaving him with a bit of a limp after an incomplete pass.
‘I definitely got a good shot at him,’ recalled Carter, the former Penn State pass rusher. ‘But he’s tough. He got right back up, kept playing throughout the whole game. So, I knew right there he was a good player.’
Dart also got the last laugh, leading Ole Miss to a 38-25 victory while throwing for 379 yards and three touchdowns.
Carter celebrates with fans after being chosen by the New York Giants with the third pick
‘Well, he beat us,’ Carter said. ‘So if you beat Penn State in a big game like that, I know you’re the real deal, especially at quarterback.’
The Giants would certainly agree — on both players.
With the No. 3 overall pick Thursday night, New York took Carter to add to an already solid pass rush that includes Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.
A few hours later, general manager Joe Schoen traded back into the first round to get the No. 25 pick from Houston and took Dart.
While Carter could have an immediate impact, Dart should be able to sit and learn for at least a season with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston ahead of him on the depth chart. But both Carter and Dart could be major foundation pieces for the Giants for years to come.
‘I’m fired up about the two players that we were able to get (Thursday night),’ Schoen said.
New York Giants first-round draft picks, Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart, pose for local media
Oh, and as far as that hit, Dart remembers it well. And he looked forward to seeing Carter again on the field — as teammates.
‘I actually told my family before this that I hope I get the chance to play with him because I know how great of a player he is,’ Dart said. ‘I’ve seen what his teammates have said about him and how he’s able to set a culture for the team, and I see it the exact same way. I’m excited to compete with him and be a teammate with him.’
Schoen and coach Brian Daboll enter this season on the hot seat after last season’s 3-14 finish had co-owner John Mara insisting that marked improvement was needed. Mara also wanted to solidify the quarterback position.
Schoen did that for the short term by signing Wilson and Winston and then put a potential long-term solution in place by drafting Dart.
One of Daboll’s biggest strengths has been developing quarterbacks, and he now gets his first real chance to do so with a top rookie prospect with the Giants.
‘I think this guy has gotten better every year he’s played,’ Daboll said. ‘He’s a leader. He was smart. He has the attributes that we were looking for. … He’s got a lot to learn (and) it’ll be a process here with him, but he’s a guy we look forward to working with.’
