Quick Facts
Biography
Kevin Christopher Minter (born December 3, 1990) is an American football inside linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU, where he earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors.
Early years
Minter was born in Suwanee, Georgia, the son of Leonard Minter and Willie Mae Hollis. A starter all four years, attended Berkmar High School in Lilburn, GA for his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee for his junior and senior seasons. In his junior year, he had 137 tackles. In his senior year, he had 113 tackles and was named to the Class 5A all-state first team.
College
Minter enrolled in Louisiana State University, and played for coach Les Miles's LSU Tigers football team from 2009 to 2012. He redshirted the 2009 season. The following year, he had 15 tackles. In 2011, he had 61 tackles and one sack. He had five tackles and a sack in the BCS Championship Game.
In 2012, Minter had 130 tackles, which led the team and was the third-best total in the SEC. He also had 4.0 sacks. He had a career-best 20 tackles and 2.0 sacks against Florida, and his 17 solo tackles versus Florida was an LSU single-game record. In the Chick-fil-A Bowl, he set an LSU bowl game record with 19 tackles. Minter was a Butkus Award finalist, a first team All-SEC selection, and the LSU team MVP. Sports Illustrated named him to their All-American first team. He left LSU after the season to enter the 2013 NFL Draft. He ended his collegiate career with 206 tackles and 5.0 sacks.
In 2012, he graduated from LSU with a bachelor's degree in general studies.
Professional career
2013 NFL Draft
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in | 246 lb | 32 in | 9 3⁄8 in | 4.81 s | 33 in | 9 ft 11 in | 25 reps | ||||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
Minter was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round, with the 45th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft. Despite being drafted in the second round, Minter went into the season blocked on the depth chart by veteran players. The Cardinals already had Daryl Washington coming off a pro bowl season the year before, and had signed Jasper Brinkley and former Cardinal Karlos Dansby during the offseason. In his rookie season, he contributed as a special teams player as he only played two defensive snaps while making four tackles.