Eagles may influence Giants to take hometown pass rusher in 2025 NFL Draft

The Eagles just keep living rent-free in the minds of NFC East rivals, especially the New York Giants.

Giants GM Joe Schoen held his pre-draft press conference this week and made one thing painfully clear: he’s building his defense with the Eagles in mind. The man literally referenced Philly’s pass rush in the Super Bowl as the gold standard. So naturally, the Giants are considering loading up on another edge rusher — Penn State’s Abdul Carter — with the No. 3 overall pick.

Even though they already have Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, Schoen isn’t concerned about any kind of logjam on the edge. Why? Because the Eagles have been terrorizing quarterbacks for years with a deep rotation of pass rushers, and Schoen clearly wants in on that blueprint.

“Everybody watched the Super Bowl, right?” Schoen said. “Philly rushed with how many, four the whole game? That’s one way to do it.”

Eagles continue to shape how the NFC East drafts

Carter is a freak. He put up 12 sacks last season, was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and has drawn legit comparisons to Micah Parsons. That’s not hype — that’s a problem, especially if he ends up in blue.

Still, the Giants drafting him would say a lot more about the Eagles than it does about New York. This is what happens when a team dominates the division for years — everyone starts trying to copy the formula. First it was Dallas going heavy on linebackers. Now it’s the Giants looking to stack pass rushers like Howie stacks comp picks.

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Schoen didn’t even try to downplay it. When asked where Carter would fit in their scheme, he gave the type of answer that sounds good in April but usually leads to regret by November:

“We would find a way… You’ve got good football players, you figure it out.”

Sound familiar? That’s because the Eagles did the same thing when they added Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith to a group that already included Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox. Except when Howie Roseman does it, it’s with foresight and a plan. When the Giants do it? It just feels like they’re trying to keep up.

So yeah, the Eagles aren’t just setting trends. They’re setting traps. And the rest of the NFC East keeps walking right into them.