The New York Giants have a lingering Abdul Carter problem that seemingly can’t get fixed. He's been fined, benched, publicly challenged by teammates for attendance. The disruptive force he was in college has yet to show up in the NFL, and what once looked like a steal is drifting dangerously close to bust territory.
But is he the worst NFL rookie this season? Not quite. But in a draft class loaded with early disappointments, he’s uncomfortably close to the top. Here's our list.
1. Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals, defensive end
Expectation: First round pick. Stewart needed to compliment Trey Hendrickson on Cincinnati’s weak defensive line.
Reality: Shemar Stewart wasn’t worth the contract holdout problems in the preseason. He’s been injured for a bulk of the season and now on IR, available to return next week. He has just two tackles and no sacks. The Bengals drafted him because they needed help on defense and couldn’t afford free agent signings or trades. This is looking like a bust every week.
2. Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars, wide receiver/cornerback
Expectation: Top-2 pick. Hunter can play both sides of the field, meaning you get two for one, instant impact.
Reality: Hunter was anything but an instant impact. The Jaguars used the bulk of the first half of the season trying to figure out how to get him incorporated on both sides of the ball. By doing that, he was rendered useless. And then he got hurt. The reality is it was always going to be hard trying to use Hunter on both sides. The fact that he didn’t make an impact on either side is a problem when you consider what Jacksonville gave up to draft him.
3. Abdul Carter, New York Giants, EDGE
Expectation: Top-3 pick. Carter was supposed to add EDGE depth at worst and at best, be just as destructive off the edge as Brian Burns opposite him.
Reality: Carter has been extremely disappointing and it has less to do with what he’s doing on the field. For a rookie to come in and not take team activities seriously is a problem. He’s been benched and fined for either showing up late or missing team activities, and that’s a problem. Couple that with the fact that he’s not really producing on the field, and well, he’s fighting the bust allegations hard.
4. Tre Harris, Los Angeles Chargers, wide receiver
Expectation: Second round pick. If you hold out over contract disputes, you better back it up on the field.
Reality: Like Stewart, he wasn’t worth the headache of contract hold outs if this was going to be the outcome. He’s played in every game and has less than 200 receiving yards. Sure, the Chargers do have a deep room, but they drafted him in the second round and he demanded more guaranteed money. With that kind of attitude, you have to have a bigger impact than being the fifth leading receiver on the team and only one of the top five without at least 500 receiving yards.
5. Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers, wide receiver
Expectation: First-round pick. The Packers hadn’t taken a receiver in the first round in years, they clearly saw something they liked in Golden.
Reality: Green Bay probably reached with Golden in the first round. They have an extremely deep receiver room and basically didn’t make any moves, pushing Golden further down the depth chart. He hasn’t had a real impact and you’d think as a first round selection, he’d have more of a role with the Packers than he currently does.