Need to Know! Meet new Cardinals DT Kaleb Proctor

With the team drafting defensive tackle Walter Nolen last year, the room suddenly got younger. With Lopez expected to take Campbell’s spot, Proctor can slide right into a backup role and learn the pro game at this level.

Beginnings

Proctor grew up in Oak Grove, Louisiana, and started playing football and baseball at the age of six. He attended Oak Grove High School. He played baseball and middle linebacker for his school and won two state championships in football.

He is the son of Kevin and Sarah Proctor-Perkins and has seven siblings.

He ended up at SE Louisiana.

High School accolades:

• Two-time state champion
• First Team All-State
• District 2-1A Co-Defensive MVP
• Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year
• First-Team FCS All-American
• Buck Buchanan Award finalist
• East-West Shrine Bowl invitee

His Pro Day results:

Height: 6’-2”

Weight: 291 pounds

Hand: 9 1/2”

Arm: 33”

Wingspan: 79 1/4”

40-yard dash: 4.79

10-yard shuttle: 1.68

3-cone: 7.04

225-pound bench press: DNP

Vertical jump: 33”

Broad jump: 9’4”

College games: 49

College snaps: 1,717

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Follow on social media:

Twitter: @kalebproctor4

Instagram: @_k.aleb

He became a starter in his sophomore year. Proctor had 134 total tackles at SE Louisiana, 16 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, two batted passes, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

College accolades:

• Second team All-Southland Conference
• Shrine Bowl invitee

What should Cardinals fans expect from Proctor?

The focus will be for Proctor to become part of the rotation with the defensive tackles at the 3-tech. Usually, coaches will start two and then have two more come in the whole game long. Proctor should fit this situation well. At some point, he could compete for a starting nod, but his role right off will be to give some rest to the starters and have no drop-off in production. He can be a good penetrating defensive lineman in a one-gapping scheme at the NFL level.

WHY HE COULD SUCCEED:

This kid has natural lateral ability with a great first step. Fast for a big man position. Extremely durable and has played a lot of college games. Pass rushing grade at 96%. He uses athleticism to beat blockers. Each college season, he increased his numbers and production.

Proctor can generate excellent pocket collapse from the 3-tech position. He has fluid hips and a natural bend. Violent hands with real pop. Despite coming up the middle, he has a ton of moves, rarely relying on the same counter in the same game. Very competitive nature. The burst, the speed off the snap, plus the quickness will be his calling card.

WHY HE COULD FAIL:

He needs to add a bit of weight to help his girth. He will have issues with much bigger O-Linemen. Needs work on wrapping up on his tackles, which is a legitimate concern. His anchor against the run is questionable. Proctor will play too high on his pad level and surrender leverage. He played at a lower echelon, so he will have to show he belongs at the next level.