I know many don’t wanna hear it and this is going to piss a lot of people off, but I want to try to highlight the positives and reasoning for Kadyn Proctor. ⤵️
I’ll start by saying that my immediate reaction was not great. I thought we had our choice between Downs and Bain, and I believed leaving the draft with one of them was a 100% guarantee.
Like many of you, I am not a football “expert” by any means, so I’m not going to try to pretend I know more than people who get paid a lot of money to know the game. I simply watch and love the sport.
Here we go:
▫️This year’s draft was truly all over the place. Positional rankings, mocks, nobody was consistent. The only thing that was consistent was Fernando Mendoza. Go look at some top mocks and see how many picks were correct. It’s staggering. Try not to judge the pick based on where your favorite draft analyst had Proctor going in the first round. For all we know, he could be the best OL in this draft. He may also not be. Only time will tell.
▫️For years we’ve been rightfully bitching about our offensive line. We’ve never been healthy there, we’ve never had consistent play. Proctor should help us build a real wall from day one.
▫️There was a huge run on OL in the teens and early twenties. Some of the guys that many thought were going to be available at 30 didn’t even make it that far. If Sullivan wanted to target this position, 11-12 was the time, and the Dolphins obviously think they got the best player out of that group.
▫️I can’t say for sure that Mauigoa was Sully’s initial target, but if he was, he was smart to trade down one spot and pick up two additional fifths and still walk away with one of his guys.
▫️Kadyn Proctor is a massive 6’7, 350+ lb man. “Fast gets slow but big don’t get small.” Size is extremely important to our GM.
▫️JES also believes that Proctor can play both tackle spots and both guard spots. This will allow us to plug Jonah back at his original spot on the right side, and Paul/Proctor can completely lock down Malik’s blind side. Versatility was another box that Sullivan needed to check. Someone like Vega Ioane does not provide versatility, as good as he may be at the next level.
▫️Kadyn Proctor is only 20 years old. Plenty of room for growth, development, and maturing. Not to say that he’s “raw”, because he isn’t. He’s been extremely productive at Alabama in three years. One of the highest graded linemen in the country.
▫️He is also an absolute mauler in the run game, per many scouts. He can get downfield quickly and explode into second-level blocks, much like Aaron Brewer. Very impressive for his size.
▫️Bama lined him up at receiver. They also lined him up in the backfield. Rare athlete.
At the end of the day, the Dolphins front office spent a ton of time with this kid and they fell in love with him. They’re trying to build this team from the inside out and they covet physical traits. Proctor checks all the boxes for Sully and Haf and the foundation they’re trying to lay.
Again, my intention is not to tell people they’re wrong for feeling how they feel. I just wanted to try to provide some positivity and rationale for a player who could very well end up being a cornerstone piece for this football team.
I know this was a surprise selection, but let’s give this kid, and this front office, a chance to put in the work and show us what they can actually do on the football field.
I am choosing to trust this process, and I think you should too.
#PhinsUp
ESPN Sources: Dolphins are hiring former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach. Hafley completed his second interview with the team today and will be their new head coach.