Andre Carter II is the son of former 2001 first-round pick Andre Carter, who played in the NFL for 13 years with the San Francisco 49ers, the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, and the Oakland Raiders. Carter II was recruited out of Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas as a wide receiver and switched to linebacker upon entering the Army. Carter II did not see action during his first year in Army in 2019 but played nine games as a sophomore in 2020.
As a sophomore, Carter notched 14 total tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one sack. Carter II came alive during the 2021 season where he played in 12 games totaling 41 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, and 14.5 quarterback sacks. Carter II has plenty of juice off the edge and has the potential to grow into an incredible edge rusher. As such, let’s dive into what makes this prospect special in addition to how he can improve his stock throughout the 2022 season.
Film Session
The biggest takeaway from Carter’s film is his outstanding athletic and physical traits. He’s a listed 260 pounds stretched out in his 6-7 frame making him an incredibly lean player. Despite his thinner frame, Carter plays with a tremendous amount of length for the position, giving him a significant advantage in pass-rushing situations. Carter tends to employ the rip move when working from an outside track, and his arm length comes in handy when tackles overset. His elite speed from the outside makes offensive tackles jump at the snap to which he uses the rip mentioned above to create havoc in the backfield.
Army’s defensive coaches know how to use Carter as a pass rusher and his production on the ball is reflected in that. According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, Carter pressured the quarterback on 17.5% of his pass rush snaps, which ranked fourth highest in the nation.
They tend to play him as a six-technique to the weak side of plays which allows him to flow down the line of scrimmage in run defense and bring down runners from behind. Army runs a four-man front, well three if you don’t consider Carter to be a defensive lineman. He serves as their “dog-backer” where his main objective is to rush the passer. Carter faces a lot of tackles in one-on-one situations where his motor and traits are too much for them to handle.
