Unpacking Future Packers: No. 16, SE Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2026 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers need to get more disruptive plays from their interior defensive linemen. Devonte Wyatt, who only played in 10 games, led the defensive tackle group with four sacks and tied for the clubhouse lead with six tackles for loss.

The rest of the defensive tackles combined for one sack and seven tackles for loss. Karl Brooks led the position group with 25 pressures. Wyatt recorded 22 pressures before suffering a season-ending injury. The rest of the group combined for 30.

A prospect who could help bolster the defensive tackle room is Kaleb Proctor. The Southeastern Louisiana defensive tackle checks in at No. 16 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

During his first season on campus, the Louisiana native recorded two tackles for loss and one sack. In 2023, Proctor recorded five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. The following season, Proctor recorded 49 tackles, six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

This past season, Proctor was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year after he recorded 43 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He also recorded 39 pressures and 22 stops.

A linebacker at Oak Grove High School, Proctor moves extremely well for a player his size. He's twitched up and has an explosive first step. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he clocked a 1.68 10-yard split, which was tied for second best among interior defensive linemen.

Proctor combines his explosiveness with eager hands to keep himself clean and make stops in the backfield. He plays with good balance to slip through gaps. He has the range of a linebacker to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage. He has good backfield vision to locate the football. During his final two seasons, he recorded 44 stops and 19 tackles for loss. While he's not going to be able to root in against double teams, he gets in the backfield in the blink of an eye to disrupt the action and create splash plays.

With his initial get off, he creates a ton of movement with his bull rush. He plays with relentless hands to do whatever he can to create pressure on the quarterback. His motor is always running. Proctor has serious juice as a pass rusher.

"It’s his quickness and play speed that allows him to be so productive in all situations," Shane Coughlin, the Director of College Scouting for the Shrine Bowl, said. "He has such an intense and immediate get off that he uses to slant through gaps and pursue backside with rare range for an interior player. Paired with a non-stop motor, I see him contributing early at the next level as a rotational pass rusher who will only get better as he adjusts to NFL-caliber play strength."

Fit with the Packers

The Packers addressed the most pressing roster need when they signed Javon Hargrave to a two-year deal. The addition of the veteran defensive tackle bolsters the interior of the defensive line.

That room still needs more.

Proctor would bring serious juice to Green Bay's interior pass rush. He may not have the anchor to eat up double teams or clog up running lanes, but he does have active traits that could help create negative plays against the run to get teams behind the chains.

Just flip on Proctor's performance against LSU this past season and it's easy to see the vision with the Southland Player of the Year. Proctor ate up the LSU offensive line, recording three tackles for loss, two sacks, five stops and three pressures.

"I look at his film against LSU last season, as well as at the Shrine Bowl, and see a player whose playstyle is generally defined by quickness and intensity but is still able to compete with power against top competition," Coughlin said. "Developing that aspect of his game and supplementing his already stellar athletic profile makes for a very exciting draft selection."

The Packers have one of the NFL's most disruptive forces in Micah Parsons. Now it's up to Gutekunst to add the necessary pieces around him to build a dominant front seven. Proctor's ability to put pressure on the quarterback could make him a target for the Packers in the third round, and if he's still on the board when they are on the clock in the fourth round, it would be a slam-dunk pick.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Unpacking Future Packers: No. 16, SE Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor