Dolphins draft Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor at No. 12, after former coach Nick Saban calls him 'not really a self-starter'

Kadyn Proctor is a big man, and might have some big red flags.

(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)

Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is the newest member of the Miami Dolphins, despite some reservations from his former coach.

The Dolphins surprisingly drafted Proctor No. 12 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, bringing in one of the most controversial prospects of the class. Proctor is enormous and a former five-star prospect, but also faces a multitude of questions about his fit as a professional.

Retired Alabama coach Nick Saban, who coached Proctor in his freshman year, added to those worries a day earlier during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

When asked about the lineman, Saban indicated he didn’t love nitpicking prospects and proceeded to praise Proctor’s physical attributes:

“This guy is so talented — big, physical, can move and has power. He’s got range. He’s got good feet.”

However, he then proceeded to lay out some rather large concerns about Proctor’s character before insisting he believed he could be a good NFL player:

“The issue with him is — he’s not a bad person. He’ll do whatever you ask him to do once you get him in the building. But when he’s not in the building, he might get a little overweight, he might not come in in the best shape and those are the kinds of things you gotta manage with him. But I think they’re manageable.

“In other words, he’s not really a self-starter that’s going to out there and get into shape and come into camp like you want him. But if you can get him to come to camp, if you’ve got him there, and get him ready to go. So I don’t think that’s a huge negative for the guy, and I think he’s going to be a really good player.”

That’s a compliment sandwich with a very big filling.