No New York Giant has worn the No. 56 since 1993, and with good reason. That year, the consensus greatest defensive player in history—linebacker Lawrence Taylor—hung up his cleats for good.
Taylor spent his entire 13-year career with the Giants, and remains one of New York's most famous athletes. That's the company new Giants linebacker Abdul Carter appears eager to keep, as he told Bleacher Report shortly after being drafted—while revealing an eyebrow-raising wish.
"I got a different number in mind (than 11, his number at Penn State)," Carter told Dallas Cowboys linebacker and fellow former Nittany Lion Micah Parsons, who wears No. 11 now. "I don't know. 56 sound real good..."
"I respect the hell out of that, dog. That would be some legendary stuff. I'm glad I asked that," Parsons said.
It’s not the first time Carter has teased his desire to follow in Taylor’s footsteps, teasing out the fact that the Giants might draft him by posting a picture of L.T. that stands outside a meeting room in the team’s facility while on a pre-draft visit.
Carter clearly has big plans, but whether he ultimately dons the No. 56 jersey will likely come down to how the Giants, and Taylor, feel about the matter.
More NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Abdul Carter Has a Bold Number in Mind With the New York Giants.
