Defensive tackle is a position the Green Bay Packers will likely address early in this year's draft. Premium options will be limited without a first-round pick, but there is still talent to be had in the second and third rounds. After that, the prospect pool thins out.
Christen Miller. Lee Hunter. Domonique Orange. All are names the Packers could consider if available at No. 52 overall. The idea is to take one early.
Actually, Green Bay might be able to wait until the third round to pounce. Despite coming from an FCS school, Southeastern Louisiana senior Kaleb Proctor is gaining more and more steam as a potential Packers pick at No. 84.Â
"Kaleb Proctor in the 3rd round would make me irrationally happy," writes Packers reporter Eli Berkovits of 247Sports.
Proctor has already completed a visit with Green Bay. Given his explosive power, positional speed, and overall athleticism, it's not hard to see why he is becoming popular with Packers fans.
Kaleb Proctor is a prospect the Packers must take seriously
Among defensive tackles at the NFL Combine, his 40-time of 4.79 trailed only Penn State's Zane Durant, who ran a 4.75. He also ranked fifth with a vertical jump of 33 inches, and fourth with a broad jump of nine feet, five inches. Proctor's 9.52 Relative Athletic Score ranked in the 95th percentile among DT scores dating back to 1987.
Proctor is the type of high-end athlete the Packers tend to favor in the draft.
By NFL standards, however, he is undersized for an interior defensive lineman. At the combine, he was listed at 6-foot-1 7/8 and 291 pounds. His weight barely sneaks into the lower end of the target range for defensive tackles in the pros. That's a strike against him, given Green Bay's inclination for mass and stature.
Size concerns and his FCS background have suppressed Proctor's standing on draft boards. He didn't suit up for Ohio State or Georgia. He didn't play for a Power 4 program or even in the FBS. Based on his consensus rank of 113, taking Proctor anytime on Day 2 would be a reach.
But his stock is rising. He punished the competition he faced, highlighting a difference in skill and athleticism that suggests Power 4 schools missed out when they overlooked him in the recruiting process.
Pro Football Focus credits Proctor with nine sacks, second in the nation among interior defenders. He ranked fourth in total pressures (39) and eighth in hurries (26). His 86.5 overall PFF grade ranked ninth out of 887, including a 90.4 pass-rush score (third) and 74.2 against the run (226th).
No doubt Proctor took advantage of an FCS schedule, but his production proves that he belonged at the next level. That's what people are finding out as they dive into the film.
For the Packers, specifically, it's worth noting that his smaller build puts him at a disadvantage against the run. With good pass rushers in Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave as their other starting DTs, that is the area they need to address most. Proctor's size rules nose tackle reps all but out of the question. It could be a reason the Packers ultimately avoid him.
Or perhaps they draft Proctor, anyway, and, to compensate, spend another pick on a run-focused prospect (or swing a trade). That could work. The one thing they can't do is dismiss him outright if they hit the clock at No. 84 and, in a diluting DT class, he's still there for the taking.
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