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The Minnesota Vikings roster got a nice refresh in the 2023 NFL Draft. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah filled needed holes with the team’s six selections and, after the draft, signed several Vikings undrafted free agents. Now, these youngsters will all compete to make the team, starting at the Vikings rookie minicamp. The one undrafted player with the best chance of being on the team in Week 1 is Army edge rusher Andre Carter II.
Andre Carter II is the Vikings undrafted free agent with best chance to make the roster
Army pass-rusher Andre Carter II is one of the most interesting stories of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Vikings undrafted free agent played at West Point and, as such, owes the United States five years of military service. However, Carter is also an NFL-caliber pass-rusher who posted 15.5 sacks in 2021, which was good for second-most in the FBS.
For years, the military academies have allowed athletes with pro potential to defer their service to chase their professional sports dreams. However, “The United States Military annual budget included language to prevent service academy athletes from deferring their mandatory post-graduation service,” per NFL.com.
While that made things look bleak for Carter, the subsequent “omnibus appropriations bill allowed certain service-academy athletes to continue requesting waivers from the Department of Defense.”
So, long story short, Carter is now eligible to pursue an NFL career starting this offseason.
But while Carter seemed poised to become the first Army player since the Detroit Lions took linebacker Caleb Campbell in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, no team used a pick on him in the 2023 draft.
Most scouts had the Army pass-rusher as an early Day 3 selection, but once he didn’t get picked, Carter became the top priority among Vikings undrafted free agents.
The reason we know he was a top priority and that he has the best chance heading into the Vikings rookie minicamp to make the roster is the contract the team gave him. In a somewhat shocking deal that makes Carter one of the highest-paid undrafted free agent signings of all time, Minnesota gave Carter a $340,000 fully-guaranteed deal.
That is a $40,000 signing bonus and a guaranteed $300,000 base salary in 2023, which means Carter actually did better financially as a Vikings unsigned free agent than he would have as a late seventh-round pick.
Most end-of-the-draft selections get around an $80,000 signing bonus with no base salary guaranteed. This means Andre Carter II is up $260,000 before he even hits the Vikings rookie minicamp.
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Making the Week 1 Vikings roster is likely for Carter for more reasons than the money. He is also 6-foot-7 and 256 pounds with incredible potential. His production dropped off significantly in 2022. But injury and the lack of talent on the Army defense had a lot to do with that.
Plus, West Point cadets have a lot more than football to worry about, as attending the iconic military academy is about the most intense college experience an athlete can have. Now that Carter can just concentrate on football, his skills have the potential to skyrocket in 2023.
Finally, in addition to money and potential, Carter also fills a need for the Vikings at the pass-rusher position.
The current edge rusher depth chart on the Vikings roster includes Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, Za'Darius Smith, and D.J. Wonnum.
Hunter and Smith both put up double-digit sacks last season, but the former will be a free agent after the 2023 NFL season, and the latter has publically asked out of the Gopher State. Wonnum regressed last season, putting up just 4.0 sacks after getting 8.0 the year before, and the whole unit ranked 21st in the league in 2022 with just 38 total sacks.
The team did sign Davenport from the New Orleans Saints, but he had a down season in 2022, as well, dropping from 9.0 sacks in 2021 to just a half-sack last year. He is also a free agent after the upcoming season.
Minnesota has a desperate need for a young, elite pass rusher and the team didn’t take one in the seven rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. Andre Carter II could fill that role. He has the body, the skills, and the untapped potential to do so.
And when you combine all that with the financial commitment that Minnesota gave the Army defender, it will be more of a shock if Carter doesn’t make the final Vikings roster this season than if he does, even with his undrafted status.
There could be other Minnesota Vikings undrafted free agents who make the team — specifically Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace Jr. — but Carter is No. 1 on this list.
