Dave Hyde: Dolphins’ take ‘outlier’ in Proctor, not people’s choice of Bain

Outside the Dolphins, the discussion is natural: Bain or Proctor? The alpha-dog defensive linemen everyone in South Florida loved as a Hurricane and who seemed to fall in the Dolphins lap or the lesser-known Alabama tackle who, yes, surprised some draftniks by being picked so high?

It’s not like the Dolphins passed on defense. They moved up from the 30th pick to the 27th later in the night to draft cornerback Chris Johnson. So, that began the filling of gaping holes in the roster just as was necessary this draft.

Proctor brings a big body that — get this — makes 6-7, 326-pound Patrick Paul look smaller. Does any NFL line have two tackles that size?

That’s if Proctor plays tackle this season. Sullivan said he can play all five positions on the line — another reason he liked him. But there’s a decision now where to play him and part of that might be what the Dolphins want to do with right tackle Austin Jackson.

But let’s be clear: You don’t draft a player 12th on a rebuilding team and put him in a secondary position for a year or two. You put hm where you want in the long-term. He played left tackle at Alabama. That’s Paul’s position. So, right tackle for Proctor?

But the question his play will have to answer is this: Why him? Why as the first pick?

Sullivan talked of the trenches enough leading up to the draft it isn’t a surprise that an offensive lineman was a target. One problem was teams before him thought the same. Cleveland took the first one in the draft in Utah’s Spencer Fano with the ninth pick. The New York Giants followed by taking local favorite Francis Mauigoa with the 10th pick.

Were those players the Dolphins wanted at 11th? Maybe. But the larger point is Sullivan suggested the Dolphins saw something other teams didn’t in Proctor.

“Most, to be honest,” he said, when asked in how many of their mock drafts the tackle was available to them.

Sullivan then moved down a spot from the 11th to the Cowboys’ 12th pick, getting a couple fifth-round picks. Hey, every little bit helps.

The main point here is he didn’t want Downs like Dallas did. Nor was this having trouble choosing between Proctor and Bain, who dropped all the way to Tampa Bay at 15th. Was it his short arms? Something else?

“Downs and Bain are marvelous players,” Sullivan said. “I think those guys are going to be very successful. We thought Proctor was rare.”

The bonus here is it helps new quarterback Malik Willis by solidifying a line that wasn’t bad last season. Paul and center Aaron Brewer are foundational players. Jackson’s future depends on whether they put Proctor at guard for a year.

The draft already is moving on. The Dolphins have a second-round pick and now three, third-round picks on Friday. But there will be some lingering questions over this first day. A crowd chanting for Bain. The Dolphins loving they got Proctor.

“None of us have a crystal ball,” Sullivan said. “You don’t know what the future is going to bring. We feel real good about what we invested in tonight.”