Top NFL Draft prospect Abdul Carter's foot injury and what it could mean for NFL future

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Orthopedic surgeon talks about stress fractures and what they mean for athletes

Top NFL Draft prospect Abdul Carter was revealed to have a stress reaction in his foot, Dr Erica Urquhart spoke with Fox News Digital about stress fractures in athletes.

Top NFL Draft prospect Abdul Carter was revealed to have a stress reaction in his right foot during testing at the NFL combine in February.

A stress reaction is an early sign of a bone stress injury and can turn into a stress fracture if not treated properly.

Carter, 21, had a medical recheck in Indianapolis last week that showed the stress reaction is healing, and no surgery will be needed, per ESPN. 

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Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 27, 2025. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

"It should be a non-factor with the teams at this point," Carter’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said via ESPN. 

Dr. Erica Urquhart, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, spoke to Fox News Digital about stress fractures and what they mean for athletes. Urquhart said that, generally, stress fractures are caused by overuse.

"The overuse is related to repetitive activity or activities that generate significant, again using the word, stress on a localized area of the body could then result in a stress fracture," Urquhart said. 

Urquhart said that stress fractures and an "incomplete fracture" of the bone that initially are treated with rest. 

"We would encourage rest, immobilization to allow the body to heal itself," Urquhart said.

The immobilization could come in the form of a cast or brace.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard, #13, runs the ball pressured by Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter, #11, during the second half of the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 9, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

"Generally speaking, we immobilize that area, and we create a context artificially where that area can be rested through casting or through bracing," Urquhart said. 

Urquhart said generally the recovery time for rest is a matter of weeks, and is generally six to eight weeks. However, if a stress fracture is not fully healed, then the athlete could require surgery. 

"For a football player, stress fractures can certainly re-occur and depending on how they’ve been treated. So if we are looking at a situation where an athlete was diagnosed with a fracture, they were treated with rest and immobilization and then the radiographic science of that fracture has receded or regressed then essentially we could say that potentially, we are starting from a baseline," Urquhart said. 

"However, if there continue to be radiographic signs or even clinical signs of injury, then we have not returned to baseline and if that athlete were to resume the activities that precipitated the injury initially, then, of course, we might look at that as a re-injury, but it’s a really a continuum of having an injury that hasn’t been fully healed."

The recovery time from surgery is six to eight weeks, but Urquhart said because the foot is a full-weight-bearing bone, that six to eight weeks is not a definitive timeline. Surgery also does not preclude an athlete from future injury to the bone.

"Surgical treatment is certainly more definitive treatment and in a young healthy individual one would expect that the recovery would be full, but the demands of athletics certainly make that discussion in athletes a little more complicated," Urquhart said. 

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Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter, #11, celebrates with the Heisman pose after defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

Carter was the Big Ten’s top defensive player in 2024 with 68 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks last season for Penn State. In his career, Carter has 39.5 tackles for loss, 23 sacks and 14 passes defended.

For whatever team selects the Penn State star, they hope the stress reaction is fully healed and not something that turns into a recurring issue that would force him to miss games come the fall.

Carter and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter are widely considered to be the top two prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft and could slide in as a starter and make an immediate impact on day one. 

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