The Miami Dolphins surprised a lot of people by passing on Caleb Downs in the 2026 NFL Draft, as well as the hometown favorite Rueben Bain Jr., in favor of Kadyn Proctor in the first round. Whether Proctor's selection had anything to do with Jonah Savaiinaea's poor play in his first season may never be answered, but the Dolphins certainly had to improve their offensive line play, and Savaiinaea provided no confidence in doing that as a rookie.
Still, the second-year man will get his shot at redemption; this time, at his more natural position of right guard. At Arizona, Savaiinaea played a lot of tackle in his final season due to injuries, but before that, he had settled in as the team's starting RG. After spending last season with the Dolphins on the left side of the ball, Miami's new staff believes Savaiinaea should move back to where he's most comfortable.
Proctor, however, is receiving a different form of development from Miami's coaching staff. After playing almost exclusively at left tackle throughout his tenure at Alabama, Proctor will slide inside at guard, with projections that he'll move outside to right tackle by this time next year, if not sooner.
Miami Dolphins' staff developing Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea in abstract ways
Last year's coaching staff consistently said that Savaiinaea's struggles in his rookie season had nothing to do with playing on the other side of the ball. The Dolphins' new regime, however, feels differently.
Given what we saw from Savaiinaea last season, it's fair to say the new staff is making the right call here. In truth, an audible should have been called at some point last season, and Savaiinaea should have been moved back to his natural side. It may not have made a difference at the end of the day, but there's only one surefire way to find out.
For Proctor, though, he'll be playing anything but what he's naturally used to. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, new Dolphins offensive line coach Zach Yenser made mention of the team gauging Proctor's interest in playing guard during his top-30 visit. Yenser added that Miami believes Proctor playing guard will help smooth his transition to the NFL better.
Whether he stays there or not will remain to be seen. Patrick Paul has solidified himself as the Dolphins' starting LT, but with Austin Jackson expected to be gone after this season, Miami could move Proctor out as the other bookend.
Yenser did not say or hint that as a possibility, but if Proctor stays inside at guard past this season, more questions will arise as to why he was the pick at 12. Like, why did they take a guard so high? And if that was the plan, why didn't they take the more natural player at the position (Vega Ioane)?
I'm of the belief that Proctor will be Miami's RT of the future. In fact, given Jackson's track record of injuries, I'd venture it will happen before season's end. In the meantime, neither head coach Jeff Hafley, Yenser, nor anyone else in the Dolphins' coaching staff will discuss Proctor at anything but guard.
In addition to a smoother transition for Proctor, Yenser also said he believes the former Alabama LT playing guard gives the Dolphins the best chance to have their five best linemen on the field.
“The great thing about Kadyn is the dude sees the game well. The way he communicates, he’s very smart. That’s what I loved about him on our 30 visit. When I was sitting down with him watching film with him, he sees it like a center. He’s not going to play center for us but that’s how he sees the game big picture,” Yenser said.
It seems perplexing to see the Dolphins' staff coach one player one way and another player on the same line completely differently. Yet, that's what coaching at any level entails. Both Savaiinaea and Proctor were taken with high draft capital, but there's a large enough sample size to know that the former wasn't working out where he wasn't accustomed to. Another part of coaching is making adjustments...looking at you, Mike McDaniel.
Miami's staff, though, is taking more of a risk with Proctor as the regime's first draft pick. Even if he excels at guard, there will be an expectation that he can do more down the road. Nevertheless, starting Proctor out at guard is the right call as well.
As Yencer noted, it gives the Dolphins their best opportunity to start their top OL. And as bad as the Dolphins are expected to be in 2026, this could turn out to be one of the team's best offensive lines in recent memory if all goes to plan.
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