New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter, a fierce defensive end out of Penn State drafted No. 3 overall, is poised to be one of the front runners to win Defensive Rookie of the Year this season.
And he believes it, too. That confidence might explain why he requested to wear No. 56 this season, the legendary number retired in honor of one of the greatest players in NFL history, Lawrence Taylor.
Carter reached out to the Hall of Famer, but was politely rejected and forced to settle for another jersey. He chose to wear No. 51 this year.
The Giants organization began offseason team activities (OTAs) recently and head coach Brian Daboll invited the franchise legend to the facility to speak a word of wisdom to this generation of G-men.
The team's social media post included a hilarious clip of Taylor entering the meeting room, to which Daboll blurts out a back-handed remark at Carter.
"Abdul, you know this guy?"
The rest of Carter's teammates joined in laughter at the sarcasm while Lawrence found Abdul with a smile and the two embraced in a handshake.
Carter also reportedly tried to snag No. 11, the historic number he was awarded as part of a Penn State tradition. That one's also retired by the Giants for quarterback Chris Simms ... and Carter was again turned away.
This "un-retiring" of numbers isn't uncommon for the Giants, with breakout star receiver Malik Nabers being given No. 1 last year, which was previously set aside to honor of Ray Flaherty.
Flaherty played in the 1930s ... so maybe that had something to do with Nabers getting his way and Carter not.
But this is LT we're talking about - widely regarded as the best player in Giants history and an all-time great. Daboll introduced him as such.
Taylor is someone Carter will look to model his game after in the pursuit of his fine legacy in the Big Apple.
He'll just have to be wearing No. 51 - or something else down the line - in the process.