Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan wasn't afraid to be bold in his first NFL Draft with the team, kicking off a huge rookie class with Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor as the 12th overall pick.
Now that we know Proctor is planning to kick inside to left guard from his typical tackle spot, perhaps it wasn't quite as big a swing as first anticipated. Nevertheless, Proctor is a massive boom-or-bust prospect. One wonders why Sullivan didn't just go with Penn State's Vega Ioane, who went 14th overall to the Ravens, if he wanted a surefire starting guard of the future.
Instead, Sullivan bet big on Proctor's upside. It could come back to bite him if what some coaches in Proctor's college conference are saying about him reflects how he plays on NFL Sundays.
College coaches weigh in on Kadyn Proctor as red flags persist for Miami Dolphins first-round pick
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg surveyed a plethora of college coaches on what went down in the NFL Draft. Rittenberg was searching for hot takes like sleepers and surprises, along with how certain prospects fit with each team.
But as was the case in the pre-draft process and even after the Dolphins made Proctor the 12th overall pick, the rhetoric on Miami's new 352-pound behemoth was polarizing. One coordinator from Alabama's conference said the following:
"'He has more potential than production...He's a big, strong kid that's athletic. I didn't think he was always as dominant as he should have been, for the traits."
Then there was this from another SEC coordinator on how Proctor's size and athleticism are just too much to pass up at a certain point for most talent evaluators:
"Anybody who sees this guy work out, they're not going to be able to resist...Even if they wanted to, they're going to see him moving around and they're like, 'Shoot we've got to take this guy.'"
That sure was the case for Sullivan, who admitted as much after the draft. Sullivan couldn't get over how well Proctor moved for his size. Whether the consistency of his on-field results matched up with that didn't seem to matter. The Dolphins evidently have a collective buy-in that they can coax Proctor's incredible potential out of him.
One thing's for sure: Proctor should have plenty of time to prove himself. Sullivan and his head coach, Jeff Hafley, have a huge rebuild ahead of them, and more leeway to develop players by throwing them into the fire than most. If Proctor embraces that sink-or-swim scenario, he has a real shot to realize his ceiling as a pro.
But obviously, there's a flip side to that rosy, imagined football utopia. The Dolphins have a bad roster and figure to do a lot of losing before things get better. It'll take a special individual effort on Proctor's part to keep his head above water, adjusting to the speed and nuance of the NFL whilst enduring the heartbreak of many losses on game days.
Has anyone really come out and given the Proctor pick a lot of love? Haven't seen that anywhere. It's either "Ooh, this is fun but dangerous!" or it's flat-out no bueno. Probably doesn't bode well!
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