Kaleb
Proctor.
Kaleb
Proctor.
Southeastern Louisiana· 6'2"· 291 lb· 4.79s 40
"Explosive undersized interior penetrator from the FCS whose 4.79 forty and 33-inch vertical translated on tape against LSU — a scheme-specific pass-rush bet at 291 pounds."Pre-draft read
He aligns as a move-based 3-technique, primarily winning with a rare initial burst and sudden hip flexibility. His hands engage before offensive linemen can land their punch. His main avenue of victory is the vertical rush, utilizing first-step burst, threatening the B-gap angle, and executing a snatch-and-toss technique when tackles over-set.
His secondary strength is lateral quickness on twists and games, where he effectively beats center-to-guard pass-offs to the intended spot. In run defense, he can be a gap-shooter who disrupts plays in the backfield. However, when stacked head-up, he loses ground against interior linemen who establish square contact and land a second hand. His play strength is a limiting factor; his anchor buckles against down-blocks, and he can be washed out by combination blocks.
Arizona runs a Fangio two-high 3-4 defense that asks its down-linemen to play a one-gap penetrating style.
Year 1 he is a sub-package pass rusher, working inside stunts and games; in time he offers upside as a starting penetrator in a one-gap defense.
Gap/duo power run games or any two-gap scheme that asks his linemen to read and hold his ground rather than attack.
Kaleb Proctor projects as a situational pass-rush specialist in a one-gap scheme, but his lack of play strength limits his every-down potential and run-stopping ability.
Kaleb Proctor Highlights | Arizona Cardinals DLineman | Southeastern Louisiana | 2026 NFL Draft
Full senior-year highlight cut leaning on the get-off wins and the LSU game tape.
Kaleb Proctor Has INCREDIBLE BURST
Micro-cut isolating the first-step burst that scored top-5 among DTs at the Combine.
D3 vs SEC At The East-West Shrine Bowl
Shrine Bowl practice reps against Power Four interior linemen that validated the burst against level of competition.
Kaleb Proctor projects as a penetrating interior rusher, a specialist for a one-gap, attack-oriented defensive front. His appeal centers on an elite athletic profile for the position, particularly his first-step explosion, offering disruption on passing downs and clear upside as a sub-package contributor early in his career.
A zero-star recruit, he developed into the Southland Player of the Year at Southeastern Louisiana, culminating in a senior season with nine sacks and thirteen tackles for loss. He was primarily used as a disruptive force on the interior, and his performance against LSU, logging two sacks, addressed concerns about the level of his competition and confirmed his ability against Power Five talent.
Evaluators noted his undersized anchor as a primary concern, which limited his fit to scheme-specific roles. Despite this, his elite athletic testing, including a 4.79 forty-yard dash, positioned him as an intriguing, albeit specialized, prospect. Consensus placed him as an early Day-3 selection, and he was drafted by Arizona with the 104th pick.
- 01
Exceptional first-step quickness
Exceptional first-step quickness — Interior get-off beats guards to their spot before they complete their second kick slide.
- 02
Dominant LSU performance
Dominant LSU performance — Secured two sacks and validated ability against top-tier collegiate competition, adding three tackles for loss.
- 03
Sudden hip flexibility
Sudden hip flexibility — Utilizes first-step burst, threatens the B-gap angle, and excels with a snatch-and-toss technique.
- 04
Quick hands on stunts
Quick hands on stunts — Defeats center-to-guard pass-offs and creates looping opportunities, demonstrating fluid lateral movement.
- 05
Disruptive run defender
Disruptive run defender — Functions as a gap-shooter who consistently disrupts plays in the backfield with his burst.
- 01
Undersized anchor
Undersized anchor — At 291 pounds, his anchor buckles against down-blocks and he can be washed out by combination blocks.
- 02
Loses ground head-up
Loses ground head-up — When stacked, he loses against interior linemen who establish square contact and land a second hand.
- 03
Scheme limitations
Scheme limitations — His profile is best suited for one-gap penetrate-and-disrupt fronts; his burst is negated in two-gap schemes.
- 04
Limited pass-rush repertoire
Limited pass-rush repertoire — Relies heavily on initial burst; lacks a consistently developed and reliable secondary move.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.79sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 113inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.71sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | SE Louisiana | 12 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | SE Louisiana | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | SE Louisiana | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | SE Louisiana | 13 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 47 | 25 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Athletic small-school interior rusher whose burst wins reps but whose anchor concerns keep him in a rotational sub-package role.
Undersized interior penetrator whose get-off and hand-usage built a decade-long starting career in one-gap defensive fronts.
Explosive FCS/D-II interior athlete whose Combine testing outran his tape and settled into a fringe-roster pass-rush specialist.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context
Kaleb Proctor was a zero-star recruit out of Oak Grove, Louisiana who stayed home at Southeastern for four years and built himself into the first FCS player off the board in the 2026 draft. The senior tape — 43 tackles, 13 TFL, 9 sacks and Southland Player of the Year — was already loud, and the September 20 game at LSU (five tackles, three TFL, two sacks) closed the level-of-competition argument. The Combine then confirmed the athletic profile: 6'2", 291 pounds, a 4.79 forty, a 33-inch vertical, and a 9'5" broad jump, all top-five marks among defensive tackles in Indianapolis. The evaluation split cleanly — elite one-gap tools, undersized anchor — and boards settled him as an early-Day-3 scheme-specific bet.
NFL fit — Cardinals
Arizona took him 104 to feed an aggressive one-gap front, which is the exact scheme this profile lives in. The defense wants sub-package interior rushers who can win with get-off on second-and-long and stunt targets who can beat center-to-guard passoffs, and Proctor projects as a rotational three-tech behind the veteran interior for year one. The role is defined by what he does well: penetrate, disrupt, and get off the field on early downs so the pass-rush package can play. Long-term the ask is anchor development — hold ground on down-blocks and combos — because the athletic ceiling is already NFL-starter level.
Retrospective
Too early to write — he hasn't taken an NFL snap. What we already know: the pre-draft evaluation was honest about the anchor question, the scheme fit in Arizona is close to ideal, and the athletic profile plus the LSU tape gave the Cardinals a real Day-3 upside swing at a position that rarely produces one from the FCS. Check back at the end of the 2027 season.