Andre Carter II vies to be rare Army draftee to NFL

INDIANAPOLIS, March 2 (UPI) -- Andre Carter II said a desire to "blow stuff up" led him to choose a career as an Army field artillery officer. He now hopes explosive pass rush skills make him the first West Point player drafted into the NFL in 15 years.

He is among the premier quarterback stalkers being showcased for scouts this week at the 2023 NFL scouting combine.

"It's something that I'm really grateful for the opportunity, to not only serve in the military, but also to have a chance to play in the NFL," Carter told reporters Wednesday in Indianapolis. "I want to represent the military academy and the Army with the utmost respect while I'm playing, just because it's given me so much.

"I'm really grateful for the opportunity."

Carter is one of the latest Black Knights to benefit from recent relaxations to previous Department of Defense guidelines, which once required two years of active service upon graduation.

Instead, he will delay his service time and be allowed to play immediately after he is drafted. He plans to go on active duty for five years after his NFL career. He will follow that with three years in the reserves.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound linebacker wasn't highly recruited as a tight end out of high school in Houston, but went on to log 14.5 sacks as a junior at West Point, the U.S. military academy. Carter's production dropped to 3.5 sacks in 2022, but he did enough to find himself on the radar of NFL scouts.

Carter is expected to be a second- or third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. DeWitt "Tex" Coulter was the last Army player to be selected in the first round. He went to the Chicago Cardinals at No. 7 overall in 1947.

Defensive back Caleb Campbell was the last Army player picked in any draft. He joined the Detroit Lions as a seventh-round pick in 2008.

Less than 1% of U.S. adults serve in the military, according to the Department of Defense. The NFL says only 1.6% of college football players make it to the professional level.

Carter plans to capitalize on his rare opportunity. He also wants to use the lessons he learned at West Point in an NFL locker room.

"The biggest thing for me is my ability to manage a lot of things at once," Carter said. "I would say being at the academy, you've got to manage academics, football and then also your military responsibilities.

"That's something I'll take with me to the NFL, when I'm a field artillery officer in the Army and then for the rest of my life."

On the field, Carter said he likes to borrow moves from Los Angeles Rams linebacker Leonard Floyd. He also compares his size to Floyd, who stands at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds.

NFL talent evaluators also have compared Carter to Hall of Fame pass rusher Jason Taylor and Aldon Smith. Living up to those expectations could make Carter a draft-day steal.

Carter's off-field discipline also should suit any NFL team.

He said his normal college days consisted of waking up at about 6:30 a.m. on the West Point, N.Y., campus. He then reported for accountability formation, ate breakfast and went to classes until noon, before lunch.

The Black Knights football team then would go to the stadium for workouts, practice, treatment and meetings before team dinner. Carter would return to his room at 8 or 9 p.m. to start homework and fulfill other military obligations.

He added a new wrinkle to his itinerary last year: daily drives to New Jersey to meet with a personal trainer so he could prepare for the NFL scouting combine.

West Point students also are given more responsibilities each year at the school, leading up to their senior year, when they oversee a 30-person platoon. A long, successful football career could lead to Carter overseeing an even larger group in an NFL locker room.

"There is a lot of stuff from the military in the Army that applies to football," Carter said.

"Obviously, the stakes are a lot greater in the Army. You know, lives are on the line. But I try to take stuff I learned from the Army, not only in football, but in my life, and really live those Army values."

Carter said he will report for the Army's basic officer leader course in Fort Sill, Okla., when his football days end.