usatsi-abdul-carter-penn-state.jpg
Getty Images

The New York Giants are in position to select an impact player with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft later this month. There has been speculation for a while that they're interested in a quarterback despite the fact that they recently signed both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, but of course, they could go in another direction.

On that front, we have an interesting report via ESPN that Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter had breakfast last Sunday with Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Carter also visited with the team on Thursday and Friday, and posted a picture of Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame edge rusher Lawrence Taylor that sits outside the Giants' outside linebackers room.

Carter has long been assumed to be one of the top picks in the draft. He was initially considered heavily in the mix to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, though in recent weeks it has become increasingly likely that Tennessee selects University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward. That's left Carter in the running for the Cleveland Browns at No. 2, the Giants at No. 3 and the New England Patriots at No. 4.

Considered the top edge rusher and possibly top overall player in the class, Carter is coming off a season wherein he racked up 68 tackles, an NCAA-best 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 66 total pressures, the latter of which ranked second in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Abdul Carter injury update: Top draft prospect gets positive diagnosis on stress reaction in foot, per report
Jared Dubin
Abdul Carter injury update: Top draft prospect gets positive diagnosis on stress reaction in foot, per report

He's drawn comparisons to Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons -- his predecessor at Penn State who has finished in the top three of Defensive Player of the Year voting three times in four seasons -- so it makes sense that he's widely considered the draft's top defender. Even though the Giants already have Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on their roster, the chance to land a player like Carter doesn't come along very often, so doing as much homework as possible on him also makes sense -- even if they end up going in a different direction.