2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kadyn Proctor
- Jack Gaffney
- 22 hours ago
- 5 min read
There's been a fair amount of "larger than life" tackle prospects in the NFL Draft process the last several years, and Alabama's Kadyn Proctor fits right into that group. Really, the one who got away for the Iowa Hawkeyes, both in the 2022 recruiting class and in the 2024 transfer portal, Proctor was one of the most prolific high school products the state of Iowa ever produced, going to Alabama as a consensus top 10 recruit in the country, where he racked up plently of accolades such as 2025 Consensus All-American and First-Team All-SEC.
As one of the biggest and most imposing tackles in the nation, Proctor has faced questions about his sustainability at the position in the NFL, thanks to concerns about how he handles speed off the edge, with some already digging into the camp that he should switch to guard. Additionally, Proctor has some notable injury history, playing hurt for all of 2024 after a freak injury warming up for the season opener. Still, this is a unicorn of an athlete, just 20 years old, who excelled at one of college football's best programs. Here's our scouting report.
Player Bio
Name: Kadyn Proctor
Jersey: No. 74
Position: Offensive Tackle (Left)
School: Alabama
Class: Junior
Height: 6'7
Weight: 366 lbs
Games Watched: vs. Georgia, LSU, and Auburn (2024), vs. Georgia, LSU, and Vanderbilt (2025)
Injury History: Suffered a shoulder injury in pre-game warmups before the 2024 opener that cost him two games (surgically repaired after the season). Suffered a torn ligament in his ankle in the lead-up to the 2023/24 Rose Bowl.
Pass Blocking (13.25/15)
With his elite blend of anchor ability, length, and overall strength, Proctor had no shortage of great reps in pass protection, but with that said, the big man is certainly susceptible to speed rushers out of wider alignments. That really showed up in the Auburn game when he gave up a strip sack, then overset and got beat to his inside on a couple of later run downs. Then, against LSU that season, there was a stretch of plays where Harold Perkins essentially figured out Proctor was having trouble keeping up with his speed and essentially just spammed it for a series. That's going to have to improve big time if he's going to stick outside in the NFL, along with some mechanical stuff, but with that said, another thing that jumps out about Proctor's pass-pro is his ability to recognize and pick up twists and stunts. I thought he was consistently great at that in these five outings.
Run Blocking (13.75/15)
Proctor is a people mover if there ever was one. His ability out in space is what hurts this score here (very inconsistent, but with high highs), but at the line of scrimmage, he's everything that you'd hope for a guy who's an athletic 6'7' 366 lb'er. He can bulldoze open rushing lanes, seals off would-be defenders very well, and when it all goes well at the second level and beyond, which again, results may vary, has devastating upside. Just ask this Wisconsin player below. There are some mechanical elements we'll discuss later that can hurt him at times as well, but by and large, I was very impressed with Proctor's ability as a run blocker, which is the part of his game that should translate best in year one in the NFL.
Length (13.5/15)
It wouldn't surprise me if Proctor measures around the 35-inch arm length range at the combine, just by looking at him. You'd wish it came in handy more to combat speed (broken record) and to help when rushers try to run him inside. He showed the ability to play with good leverage and extend off in the run game, but there's room for improvement.
Footwork (8.5/10)
Especially for a bigger guy with massive legs, Proctor has some very active feet, and he's very explosive out of his stance, thanks to having a pretty good wide base to work out of. Oversetting is a bit of an issue at times, however, and he's shown that he can struggle working back to his inside with rushers who take advantage of him there.
Mechanics (7.5/10)
The knocks with Proctor, mechanically speaking, are first that his hand placement can be inconsistent and wide at times, which led to some sketchy moments and a few plays where he probably should've been called for penalties. Next, his pad level can get a bit high at times, which isn't super shocking given his size, and, in fairness, I thought it did improve somewhat on the 2025 tape. Lastly, the only lower body mechanics note I have, which also got a tad better in 2025, is that he can overset in pass pro vs. speed, and there were even a couple of instances where you would've wanted to see his strides to hit his landmarks vs. speed be a bit broader.
Athleticism (9.5/10)
Here's the athletic resume for Proctor to drive this point home: D1 offensive tackle, high school basketball center, high school shotput thrower, finishing fifth in the 2022 Iowa state championships with a 52-foot throw. At his size, it wouldn't be unfair to question how his conditioning may hold up in the early stages of his NFL career, but that's the only thing you could really hold against him here. Freak-athlete of a tackle prospect, if there ever was one.
Versatility (7.5/10)
This score is ultimately more of a reflection on Proctor only playing left tackle, but there's definitely something to the idea that he could kick inside at guard ala Mekhi Becton. Not that he can't play tackle on either side in the NFL, but that would hide his biggest deficiency of being able to handle outside speed rushers, and perhaps even enhance his capabilities in the run game. There's also the whole, he can line up out wide and be a screen receiver thing, and take carries as an upback thing, which is the most dudes-rock stuff imaginable.
Anchor (9.75/10)
I only counted maybe three or four total plays where Proctor wasn't able to anchor down and truly stonewall pass rushers. His lower-body strength is a massive asset to his game, especially when facing primarily SEC competition, where he showed the ability to slow or shut down a slew of power rushers. This is certainly one of Proctor's strongest areas coming out of Alabama.
Control (3.75/5)
When Proctor can get latched onto defenders, he might as well have just won downs right then and there with his power and length combo. The issue is his consistency: being fundamentally sound and not taking killshots when he doesn't have to, and, more importantly, being a cleaner with hand placement.
Player Summary
Having seen him for myself now, Proctor is certainly someone to be excited about while also being aware of some of his pitfalls as we enter these next few months. While he could certainly end up being a good NFL tackle however, I definitely understand, and more so subscribe to the theory that Proctor would probably be a more sure bet in the NFL as a guard, which would exesentuate what he does best, maul and overpower people without having to worry about him on an island in a league with no shortage of faster guys off the edge than even what he's been used to.
Then there's some of the injury history that naturally may scare some teams off, but this isn't anywhere near as severe as the Josh Simmons situation from last year, which saw him drop nearly out of the first round. If anything, his gutting it out with that shoulder issue in 2024 will probably help his case (assuming the medicals for it aren't crimson-red flag-worthy). Regardless, I'm fascinated to see how the league views him and what that leads to him doing at the next level. Undoubtedly, there's a lot of potential here, and NFL teams have consistently bet on that for years.
Rookie Projections: Starting Offensive Lineman
Third-Year Projection: Fringe Pro Bowl Caliber Offensive Lineman
Final Grade (87/100): Late First Round Grade
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