In what must have been something of a surprise to new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and his crew, when the clock started at pick No. 11, the Dolphins had their choice of Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Miami edge Rueben Bain.
Instead of taking one of those standout defenders, however, Sullivan moved down one spot (acquiring two more fifth-rounders in return) and selected Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor. Then, later in the round, they moved from No. 30 to No. 27 (at the cost of moving from No. 90 to No. 138 later in the draft) to pick San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson.
The pluses: Proctor is young (won't turn 21 until close to the season) and massive (6-6, 352 pounds), with demonstrations of dominance as an All-America last season for the Tide. Scouts consider him to have rare explosiveness, good lateral agility for his size, a nasty streak, and uncommon athleticism -- he even ran the ball five times for 'Bama, including an 11-yarder. He's also durable and sound, playing 40 games at left tackle over three seasons and going 18 straight starts without a holding penalty.
Johnson is instinctive, collecting 13 pass breakups and four interceptions (including two pick-sixes) while allowing zero touchdowns and just a 41.9-percent completion rate when he was targeted. Scouts give him high marks in mechanics, awareness, fluidity, transitions, anticipation, feel, closing burst, and recovery speed. He's considered a high-character teammate, sticking with San Diego State despite many opportunities to transfer to a bigger program and earning All-America and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors.
In addition, Johnson is versatile enough to play both man and zone, is an eager run defender, and possesses good special teams experience, even blocking a punt along the way.
The minuses: Analysts have documented Proctor's struggles to play in space and understand leverage, with poor fundamentals, discipline, and technique at times. His timing has been questioned, he's shown late recognition on pass-rushing moves, he needs work on combo blocks, and he has no experience at guard -- where the 'Fins intend to play him initially. Perhaps most troublingly, he had significant weight issues early in his career, leading Bitch Saban to bash him unnecessarily during the draft process.
For Johnson, his thin frame (6-0, 193 pounds) and average long speed have caused him to be out-physicaled on 50-50 balls on occasion. Scouts question his tackling form, level of competition, and lack of experience in the slot. He did miss one game due to injury as a senior and skipped his team's bowl game, though he did play in and show out for the Senior Bowl.
The best-case scenario: Proctor lines up next to Patrick Paul on the left side of Miami's offensive line, creating a behemoth wall for new quarterback Malik Willis and opening sizeable holes for tailback De'Von Achane. Later in the season, Proctor transitions to right tackle, giving the 'Fins promising bookend tackles for the next decade-plus.
Johnson seizes a starting job from jumpstreet, giving the secondary a desperately needed playmaker and giving coach Jeff Hafley the confidence to create some exotic packages. The rookie emerges as one of the defensive cornerstones Miami needs to start to make some noise in the AFC East.
The worst-case scenario: Proctor struggles to adjust to the guard position -- mirroring the experience of highly touted 2025 rookie Jonah Savaiinaea -- and his weight becomes in issue in second-level and reach blocks. He earns a replacement-level (or worse) grade at a lower-impact position while Downs and Bain take the league by storm.
Johnson is targeted early and often by opposing signal-callers, and he loses more than he wins against a more physical and accomplished caliber of competition. He struggles in run support and his overall impact is diminished by the level of play that surrounds him in a secondary that lacks talent and experience.
The bottom line: Proctor was rated the No. 19 overall prospect in the draft by analyst Dane Brugler, so taking him as high as Miami did was a bit of a reach. He was also rated the fourth-best offensive tackle by Brugler, and since the Dolphins plan to play him at guard, one wonders whether the team could have prioritized more pressing needs at higher-impact positions.
Johnson was rated No. 24 overall and the third-best cornerback in the draft by Brugler, and his selection goes at least some of the way toward filling a massive void in the roster. No issues whatsoever with this selection.
You could make a compelling case for drafting either player, and I'd feel better about Proctor if he eventually takes over as the starting right tackle. Being a Dolphins fan, I fear that bypassing Downs (especially) and Bain will come back to haunt the franchise, but Miami needs players -- and a lot of them. While this braintrust has yet to earn the trust of the fanbase, you have to hope they had a conviction on both of these players that will pay off in the long run.
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