CFL stand-out Duron Carter will likely play somewhere in the NFL next year, and there’s at least one former NFL player who thinks Carter will excel once he hits the big-boy league.

And that former NFL player happens to be someone Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is very familiar with.

Pretty strong comments from @ochocinco . He says free agent WR Duron Carter, his CFL teammate, is "easily, a No. 1 NFL receiver right now." — Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 7, 2015

It’s not as though Duron Carter needs another in with the Vikings. He already has one with his father, Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter.

But I guess it can’t hurt to have Chad Johnson in his corner too. Not that Mike Zimmer is routinely calling up Chad to get his advice on personnel matters.

All these connections are great but in the end it will come down to whether Duron Carter can impress Norv Turner and the Vikings’ brain trust in work outs.

Carter had his shot a couple years ago when he participated in a rookie camp in Minnesota and things didn’t go well for him.

But the Duron Carter we see now is not the same Duron Carter we saw a few years ago when he was just trying to catch on somewhere. After two years blowing up the CFL, Carter is considered a legit prospect.

Is he a #1 in the NFL? That remains to be seen. But there’s no question he has talent.

The Vikings will reportedly get their next look at Duron this week. He is eligible to sign in February. The Chiefs and Colts are also known to be interested.